Waste composition at UiTM students’ centre: article

Municipal solid waste has become an issue to our environment due to its rapid generation following the vast development and change in lifestyle. The second highest waste Generation is contributed by industrial, commercial and institute in Malaysia after residential sector. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the composition of waste at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) students’ centre and also to determine the fraction of recyclables waste from there along with the potential benefits. Based on approximately 10,000 students at the time of study, the waste generation rate per student was estimated as 0.25 kg/day. The types of solid waste collected were paper, plastics, aluminium cans, food waste and miscellaneous (battery, cartridge ink, motherboard or any electrical circuit and wires, diapers, dead plants and others). The highest composition is food waste which accounted for 30% by weight. Meanwhile, the lowest composition is aluminium cans with the percentage of 1%. Based on this results, the students’ centre can produce 8624.95 kg, 10709.10 kg, 532.90kg, 11158.05 kg and 5788.90 kg for paper, plastic, aluminium can, food waste and miscellaneous respectively per year. Therefore, it is estimated the revenue generated from the students’ centre is RM 8469.83 per year. In conclusion, the waste composition study provides a better understanding of the waste generation trends which can help facilitate the provision of better waste management that emphasizes on the reduction and recycling of MSW.