Work

Operationalizing Circular Economy Goals through Food-Waste Composting: A GREEN Framework for Hawker Centers

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Hawker centres operated by Malaysian local authorities (or Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan, PBT) generate heterogeneous streams of food waste-including pre-preparation trimmings, inprocess losses, plate leftovers, and expired inventory-that require site-specific interventions.This paper introduces the GREEN framework (Generate, Review, Establish, Engage, Normalise), developed through a review of international best practices and adapted to the Malaysian context.The framework is applied to a PBT-managed medan selera or food court or hawker centers producing 40-50 kg of food waste per day across multiple vendors.It integrates a food waste audit and composition analysis with operational diagnostics of vendor practices to identify feasible diversion pathways and inform the sizing of an on-site, low-footprint composting system.Building on evidence from community-scale initiatives in tropical settings, an aerated static pile (ASP) configuration is proposed, using locally available bulking agents such as rice husk, sawdust, and dry leaves to achieve optimal process conditions (55-65% moisture; C:N ratio ≈ 25-30).Literature further supports the use of bulking and biochar amendments to enhance porosity, thermophilic stability, and nitrogen retention.The system design must include siting, odor and leachate controls, safety measures, and municipal landscaping applications for the compost output.The contribution of this study is twofold: (i) the articulation of a replicable GREEN framework that PBTs can deploy rapidly with limited capital, and (ii) an evidence-based design specification suited for small-scale, decentralised composting.Findings align with regional policy directions and demonstrate that composting at the 40-50 kg per day scale is technically feasible, environmentally beneficial, and socio-institutionally acceptable when vendor segregation and bulking logistics are embedded into routine operations.

Source: International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

DOI: 10.6007/ijarbss/v15-i9/26542

Authors: Saleha Mohamad Saleh, Aliza Che Amran, Muliati Sedek, Mariam Md Ghazaly, Muhamad Yusuf Hasan

Institution: Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka

Language: English

Topic: Composting and Vermicomposting Techniques

Subfield: Soil Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Zero hunger, Climate action, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka