Building Sustainable Communities in Malaysia
About our Project
Over the past 2 years, LASAJU has supported Nestlé Malaysia with the
rollout of recycling collection programs across Selangor. In addition, we are
constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity to build sustainable
communities in Malaysia.
One problem we have yet to manage is the amount of organic waste we
send to landfills. According to SWCorp, Malaysians produce roughly
38,000 tonnes of solid waste every day, of which more than 50% is
organic waste (kitchen and garden waste). This organic waste decomposes
in landfills in the absence of oxygen, releasing a significant amount of
methane (CH₄) into the atmosphere. Methane (CH₄) is a greenhouse gas
that is 28 times more damaging than carbon dioxide (CO₂).
In addition, the transport of organic waste to landfills generates additional
emissions and costs for the city council. Thus, the best environmental and
cost-effective solution is for people to process their organic waste in their
backyards through a process called home composting.
We would like to work with the Bandar Sri Damansara community to run a
1-year pilot that offers simple bin solutions combined with relevant
educational workshops.
Why Bandar Sri Damansara?
Bandar Sri Damansara is one of the most supportive neighbourhoods in the kerbside recycling initiative of Nestlé Malaysia and MBPJ with one of the highest
participation rates. Through this joint effort, the community has avoided 650 tons of waste (as of September 2022) from going into landfill.
This successful collaboration in the past is a good indicator of the community's willingness to participate in landfill waste reduction initiatives. On top of that, BSD has an active local community garden which we believe could strategically be used to engage the residents.
Our Solution
Home composting is the most resource-efficient and sustainable way to treat
food scraps and garden waste generated at home. Through a slight change of
habit, we could reduce the amount of waste that otherwise ends up in
landfills prevent powerful greenhouse gases from being emitted into the
the atmosphere and improve the soil quality of gardens and green spaces.
The initial pilot would be mainly focused on landed households that have a
small open space for a compost bin. We aim to make it as convenient as
possible for homeowners to practice home composting providing the needed
system (bins) and training (workshops).
Provision of Compost Bin
We will provide one compost bin to each interested household. The wholesale cost of each bin is RM70 and we have free bins for the first 100 households. Ideally
participants can pay whatever price they think the bin is worth to them so that we can expand the pilot to more households in your neighborhood.
Home Composting Workshop
We will also provide a free home composting workshop for interested households. Setting up a home composting bin is easy, but you need to follow a few simple steps to make sure you have a pleasant experience e.g. no smell or pests.
The workshop will combine some theories with a practical demonstration and the opportunity to clarify any questions and clear any doubts.
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