Green Biological Transformation of Food and Yard Waste

The composting of organic waste is an alternative waste management technique that can be used to control the increase in waste generation. The objective of this study was to identify a type of effective microbes (EMs) that accelerate the composting process. The study also determined the suitability of using a KompostKu rotary composter along with additional materials such as coconut husks and Takakura EMs for composting food waste from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and determines the economic value of the compost. In order to select the most efficient EMs, Takakura and fruit waste EMs were prepared and used during the composting of both food and yard waste using a composter barrel. Four important parameters were examined to ensure the effectiveness of the process, including temperature, moisture content, potential of hydrogen (pH), and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio. The experimental results revealed that Takakura EMs were superior to the fruit waste EMs in accelerating the composting process. The use of coconut husks as an absorbing agent with Takakura EMs also accelerated the composting process, requiring approximately four weeks to fully decompose the food waste. It was estimated that the composting of food and landscape waste at the UKM could annually generate compost products worth over 30,660 Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). The use of Takakura EMs enhanced and accelerated the composting process and provided high-quality compost.