Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 24, No.

5 (2015), 1969-1982
DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/39106

Original Research
Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste
Generation and Composition at Administrative
Building Café in Universiti Putra Malaysia:
A Case Study

Khairul Bariyah Abd Hamid1*, Mohd Yusoff Ishak1, Mohd Armi Abu Samah2
1
Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
2
Kulliyyah of Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Received: January 29, 2015

Accepted: March 15, 2015

Abstract

Increasing solid waste is one of the most crucial environmental problems in Malaysia. Improper man-
agement of solid waste will cause many problems. Increasing solid waste, lack of segregation from the source,
and lack of knowledge and awareness about recycling have only worsened the problem. Knowledge of solid
waste generation and composition is necessary for accurate decision making in the management strategy of
municipal solid waste. The objectives of this study were to measure solid waste generation and analyse and
compare the composition of solid waste in two different cafés at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Solid waste sam-
ples were collected every day except for Saturdays and Sundays over a three-week period and were sorted and
classified into several weighed compositions such as food waste, plastic, paper, aluminium cans, glass, metal,
textiles, wood, and more. Results showed that total municipal solid waste generated during three weeks of
sampling at Forestry café and Park View café were 325.75 kg, or an average of 21.72 kg/day, and 2979.70 kg,
or 198.65 kg/day, respectively. There is significant difference in data collection between the two locations.
From the result, it shows that organic waste was the main component in municipal solid waste composition
for both cafés, where it is 81% for Forestry Café and 96% for Park View Café, followed by the other compo-
sitions. The high organic waste indicates the necessity for frequent collection and removal, as well as having
a good prospect for organic waste recycling through composting. Based on this information, a proper waste
management system can be introduced to treat the solid waste more efficiently.

Keywords: municipal solid waste, waste generation, waste composition, waste revenue

Introduction modified the generation of solid waste in Malaysia [2],

which has increased drastically where it was expected to
Solid waste is one of the three major environmental increase from about 9.0 million tonnes in 2000 to about
problems in Malaysia apart from water pollution and air 10.9 million tonnes in 2010, and finally to about 15.6 mil-
pollution [1]. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have lion tonnes in 2020 [3], while the national recycling rate is
estimated to be only 10% [4].
*e-mail: [email protected]
1970 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

Table 1. Types of waste and their definitions.

Type of waste Description
Commercial solid waste Any solid waste generated from any commercial activity
Any solid waste generated from any construction or demolition activity, including improvement, preparato-
Construction solid waste
ry, repair, or alteration works
Any solid waste generated by a household, and of a kind that is ordinarily generated or produced by any
Household solid waste
premises when occupied as a dwelling house, and includes garden waste
Industrial solid waste Any solid waste generated from industrial activity
Any solid waste generated by:
(a) any premises approved under any written law or by the state authority for use wholly or mainly for
religious worship or for charitable purposes
(b) any premises occupied by any federal or state government department, any local authority or any
Institutional solid waste statutory body
(c) any educational premises
(d) any healthcare facilities including hospitals, clinics and health centres
(e) any premises used as public zoos, public museums, public libraries, and orphanages
Imported solid waste Any solid waste generated in other countries and imported to Malaysia for processing or disposal
Public solid waste Any solid waste generated by public places under the supervision or control of any local authority
Solid waste which may be
Any solid waste generated at a specific time or occasion only
prescribed from time to time

Solid waste as stated in the Solid Waste and Public of municipal solid waste is through land filling, and most of
Cleansing Management Act 2007 [5] can be defined as any the sites are open dumping areas [2]. Open dumping land-
scrap material or other unwanted surplus substance, or fill is preferable due to the cheaper cost and it is also the
rejected products arising from the application of any most common method to treat solid waste with a high per-
process; or any substance required to be disposed of as centage of organic materials [9]. Collection of waste almost
being broken, worn out, contaminated, or otherwise covers all urban areas, but only about 66% of rural areas of
spoiled; or any other material that according to this Act or Malaysia were covered [10]. Table 2 shows the percentage
any other written law is required by the authorities to be dis- of waste treatment method applied in Malaysia.
posed of, but does not include scheduled wastes as pre-
scribed under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act Waste Management Hierarchy and Recycling
127) [6], sewage as defined in the Water Services Industry
Act 2006 (Act 655) [7], or radioactive waste as defined in In waste management hierarchy, waste generation must
the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304) [8]. be avoided or reduced from the source and waste disposal
According to [5], the type of solid waste which also can
be called controlled solid waste can be divided into eight
categories: commercial solid waste, construction solid
Table 2. Waste treatment methods practiced in Malaysia.
waste, household solid waste, industrial solid waste, insti-
tutional solid waste, imported solid waste, public solid Percentage (%)
waste, and solid waste that may be prescribed from time to Treatment Methods
2002 2006 Target 2020
time. Table 1 shows the types of waste and their definitions.
Recycling 5.0 5.5 22.0
Solid Waste Management Composting 0.0 1.0 8.0

Many cities in Southeast Asia are unable to practise Incineration 0.0 0.0 16.8
good solid waste management due to lack of several mat- Inert landfill 0.0 3.2 9.1
ters, including institutional, financial, technical, regulatory,
Sanitary landfill 5.0 30.9 44.1
knowledge, and public participation [9]. Good municipal
solid waste management should cover the generation of Other disposal sites 90.0 59.4 0.0
solid waste from other sources such as commercial, indus-
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
trial, and institutional, as well as municipal services.
In Malaysia, a method that is always used for the disposal Source: [11]
Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1971

Table 3. Solid waste generation in Peninsular Malaysia by states (in thousands of tonnes).
Average growth rate
State 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2010*
(1998-2000, in %)
Kuala Lumpur n.a. n.a. 1,058 1,07 1,082 1,205 1.14
Selangor n.a. n.a. 1,169 1,204 1,24 1,617 3.04
Pahang n.a. n.a. 202 206 210 252 1.98
Kelantan n.a. n.a. 123 126 120 120 -1.22
Terengganu n.a. n.a. 119 122 125 157 2.52
N. Sembilan 245 250 267 278 291 427 4.69
Melaka 192 200 208 216 225 322 4.30
Johor 854 890 927 956 1,005 1,456 4.49
Perlis 26 27 28 28 29 34 1.79
Kedah 507 538 569 569 631 977 5.49
Pulau Pinang 570 591 611 611 648 844 3.03
Perak 672 696 719 719 763 996 3.06
Total 3,066 3,192 6,000 6,137 6,378 8,407 2.86

n.a. – not available

*estimate based on the average growth rate (1998-2000) for each state except Kelantan
Source: [12]

should be the last option to dump waste. Basically, the first Table 4. Composition of solid waste in Malaysia in 2005.
option, i.e., source reduction and waste prevention, is gener-
Component Percent (%)
ally designed to reduce the total amount of waste being dis-
carded and to encourage the reuse of containers and similar Food Waste 45
products. Recycling, including techniques like composting, Plastic 24
should become the second option of waste disposal. If waste
cannot be recycled, the third option for waste disposal is Paper 7
incineration. Finally, sanitary landfilling is recommended as Steel 6
the final option due to the technological complexities and
costs involved [13]. Fig. 1 shows the waste hierarchy. Glass 3
Other 15
Total 100
Source Reduction and Source: [14]
Waste Prevention

Recycling Solid Waste Generation and Composition

in Malaysia

The generation of solid waste in Malaysia has increased

Treatment drastically where it was expected to increase from about
9.0 million tonnes in 2000 to about 10.9 million tonnes in
2010, and finally to about 15.6 million tonnes in 2020 [3].
Table 3 shows the solid waste generation in Peninsular
Disposal Malaysia by states in thousands of tonnes. Waste composi-
tion is influenced by many factors, namely level of eco-
nomic development, culture, geography, energy sources,
and climate. As a country that is increasingly urban and
where the population is becoming wealthier, consumption
Fig. 1. The waste hierarchy. of inorganic materials (plactic, paper, aluminium) is
Source: [13] increasing while use of organic materials is decreasing [15].
1972 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

According to RMK-9, waste in Malaysia can be divided Recycling is also one of the approaches to manage solid
into six compositions: food waste, plastic, paper, glass, waste. Recycling refers to the collection and separation of
metal, and “other.” Food waste shows the highest percent- waste and its transformation and remanufacturing into
age, while glass shows the lowest percentage in solid waste usable and marketable materials [12]. In Malaysia, recy-
composition [14]. Table 4 shows the composition of solid cling programs were first launched in 1993. Unfortunately,
waste in Malaysia in 2005. only some people practice it, even though Malaysians’
generally hold recycling in high regard. The recycling pro-
Technology Available for Waste Management gram was relaunched by the Ministry of Human Wellbeing,
Housing and Local Government in December 2000, and the
A number of technologies are available in Malaysia to government declared 11 November as National Recycling
provide efficient solid waste management systems that are Day [2]. According to Budhiarta [17], if compared before
technically feasible, reliable, economically viable, environ- and after the recycling program was launched, the genera-
mentally sound, and socially acceptable, but the Malaysian tion of waste produced every day does not show any reduc-
Government has been utilizing landfilling as one of the tion and is still the same.
main disposal methods for MSW.
Landfilling can be divided into two broad categories, Problem Statement
i.e., open dumping and engineered sanitary landfill. A sani-
tary landfill has features consisting of liners, leachate col- In Malaysia, solid waste is a major environmental prob-
lection and treatment, gas harvesting, and daily and final lem. Increasing waste quantity can cause many problems
covers. There are 296 landfill/dumpsites in Malaysia and because improper practices with respect to waste manage-
166 are still in operation, including nine sanitary landfills ment leads to pollution, resource degradation, and health
[16]. More sanitary landfills are planned for opening in the problems for humans and animals. Besides, no segregation
future either to replace or to upgrade the current dumpsites. from the source also has worsened the problem. Most of
Landfilling solid waste is an anaerobic process. It produces Malaysian waste is mixed waste, which means there is
landfill gases that consist of CO2, CH4, H2S, and NH3, plus organic and inorganic waste. Organic waste can be used as
other traces of gases. It can be harvested, treated, and composting materials while inorganic waste can be used
applied for electrical generation or direct heating if not and sent for recovery and recycling. Lack of awareness and
flared. Methane is known to be one of the contributors to knowledge to do recycling among the Malaysian commu-
global warming. The generation is a function of the amount nity as well as being ignorant also causes the problem to
of waste being deposited. Besides producing biogas, land- become more severe. Many people are also unaware of the
filling requires huge land space and also releases an unpleas- individual actions they can take to help curb the problem.
ant odor, and leachate requires further treatment. The sani- This study will show about solid waste generation and com-
tary landfills in Malaysia include Bukit Tagar Sanitary position at two different cafés at UPM. From waste gener-
Landfills in Selangor and Seelong Sanitary Landfill in Johor. ation and composition, a proper waste management system
Another technology available for solid waste treatment can be introduced to treat solid waste more efficiently.
is incineration. The ignition of solid waste allows a huge Objectives of the study:
volume reduction for both solid waste and hazardous • To study waste generation at two different cafés at UPM
wastes. There are four incinerators owned by the govern- (Park View Café and Forestry Café)
ment and one operated by a private company, named • To determine and statistically analyse solid waste com-
Recycle Energy Sdn. Bhd. at Semenyih, with a capacity for position at two different UPM cafés
1,000 metric tonnes per day. The other four incinerators are • To estimate waste revenue at both cafés in UPM for a
located in Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Tioman, year
and Cameron Highlands. Even though incineration does not
produce greenhouse gases (GHG), it produces harmful
gases, particles, and ash. Incinerators are equipped with Methodology
scrubbers and other prevention technologies to remove
those potential pollutants. Solid Waste Study
Composting of municipal solid waste is another
approach used by some at community or individual levels. The study on solid waste generation and composition at
Some utilize earthworms to decompose the solid waste – two different cafés in UPM consisted of three main stages:
especially food waste – in a method referred to as vermin- 1) weighing the waste
composting. Some private companies utilize anaerobic 2) recording the data
digesters to treat their organic waste on a small scale. 3) analysing the data
According to Tarmudi [12], composting is a process that The data was obtained by direct methods, meaning
involves the biological decomposition of the organic matter direct weighing of the solid waste collected from the café
under controlled operation to produce a humus-like stable where it was generated throughout the day. The data col-
product. It involves the aerobic digestion of the biodegrad- lection was conducted for 3 weeks, continuously except for
able fraction of MSW, such as paper and cardboard, and Saturdays and Sundays. The weighing process was con-
food and garden waste. ducted every day after the café was closed. Garbage bags
Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1973

Table 5. Total daily waste generated (kg) at the Forestry Café.

1.IdentifyStudyArea Day Total Waste Generated (kg)
1 14.55
2 17.60
2.MeasureSolidWaste
Generation 3 14.00
4 23.00
3.StatisticalAnalysisofSolid 5 17.60
WasteComposition
6 26.70
7 23.40
4.EstimatedOneͲYearRevenue
fromCollectedSolidWaste 8 29.15
9 20.40
10 18.00
5.ResultsandDiscussion
11 29.15
Fig. 2. Research methodology framework. 12 23.90
13 20.30
were provided to each café during the period of the sam- 14 23.90
pling. The solid waste was separated into two categories,
which were wet waste and dry waste by the café’s owner. 15 24.10
Wet waste composition contains mostly food waste and dry Total 325.75
waste composition contains mostly plastic, paper, cans, and
other materials. Then the solid waste is segregated by its
type and the weighing process was conducted using a 50 kg
scale. Fig. 2 shows the research methodology framework
for this study and Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 shows the Results
flow of sampling process.
Solid Waste Generation and Composition
Study Area at Forestry Café
The study was carried out within Universiti Putra Forestry Café comprises two small buildings located
Malaysia (UPM). The study areas were Park View Café and not far from each other. One building is for the dining area
Forestry Café – both chosen based on their locations near and the other is where they sell food and drink. Most of the
the staff and student centre. The Park View is located near food sold is prepared at a different location before it is
the UPM main administration building and the Office of brought to the café. There is no cooking activity done there
Development and Asset Management. It is open from 7:30 except for cooking simple dishes such as frying eggs.
a.m. to 6:30 p.m., thus serving as an area where the staff, The Forestry does not practice waste separation or resource
students, and public can go before continuing their busi- recovery. All solid waste is disposed of in one garbage bin.
ness. The Forestry Café, is located in-between the Faculty Table 5 shows total solid waste generated at the Forestry
of Forestry, the Lecture Hall, the Co-curicullum Centre, the during three weeks of sampling except for Saturdays and
Student Off-Campus Centre, and the Bus Centre. It is open Sundays. The total of solid waste generated is 325.75 kg.
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., thus becoming a place where people Thus, average solid waste generated for a day is 21.72 kg.
can stop before continuing their work elsewhere. Fig. 3 Based on Fig. 4, days 8 and 11 recorded the highest solid
shows the map of study area/sampling site. waste generated: 29.15 kg. Meanwhile, day 3 recorded the
lowest solid waste generated at 14.00 kg.
Table 6 shows that organic waste dominates solid waste
Data Analysis generation during three weeks of sampling except for
Saturdays and Sundays by producing about 263.30 kg
For data analysis, the data from solid waste generation (or an average of 17.55 kg per day), while glass only pro-
and composition that had been collected and weighed was duced about 2.05 kg (or an average of 0.14 kg per day).
analysed using Excel. The data showed the relationship The highest value recorded is 25.30 kg for organic waste
between quantities generated over time. The data from both and the lowest is 0.10 kg for paper. There are some
sites (Park View and Forestry) was compared and analysed, unrecorded values for glass, which indicates that there is no
also the waste revenue for both was estimated. glass waste disposed on that day.
1974 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

Table 6. Statistical analysis results of solid waste at the Forestry Café.

Waste Composition (kg)

Parameters
Organic Waste Paper Plastic Metal Glass Others
Sum 263.30 7.90 25.20 16.30 2.05 11.00
Mean 17.55 0.53 1.68 1.09 0.14 0.73
SD 4.31 0.54 0.50 0.36 0.21 0.44
Variance 18.54 0.29 0.25 0.13 0.04 0.19
Minimum 10.20 0.10 0.80 0.70 0.00 0.30
Maximum 25.30 2.10 2.50 1.90 0.60 1.70

ForestryCafé

ParkViewCafé

Fig. 3. Map of UPM North Campus.

35,00
29,15 29,15
30,00
TotalWasteGenerated(kg)

26,70
23,40 23,90 23,90 24,10
25,00 23,00
20,40 20,30
20,00 17,60 17,60 18,00
14,55 14,00
15,00

10,00

5,00

0,00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Day
Fig. 4. Graph of waste generated vs. day at Forestry Café.
Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1975

Table 7. Total waste generated (kg) by day at Park View Café.

Metal Others
Glass Day Total Waste Generated (kg)
Plastic 0.63% 5.00% 3.38%
7.74% 1 212.20
Paper 2 196.90
2.43%
3 223.60
4 183.10
5 175.90
OrganicWaste 6 205.10
80.83%
7 231.00
8 199.30
9 209.00
Fig. 5. Percentage of solid waste composition at Forestry Café. 10 185.10
11 186.60
Waste composition at Forestry Café consists of approx- 12 185.70
imately 81% organic waste followed by 8% plastic, 5%
13 204.60
metal, 3% others, 2% paper, and 1% glass. Fig. 5 illustrates
the percentage of solid waste composition at Forestry Café. 14 194.10
As for organic waste, the majority of the waste is food 15 187.50
waste and banana leaves (used as nasi lemak wrapper).
For plastic waste it consists of drinks packaging, drinking Total 2979.70
straws, fruit wrappers, bottles, and raffia ropes. Paper waste
consists of egg cartons, mineral bottle boxes, and a few cig-
arette boxes and tissues. Glass is rarely disposed of, only
once or twice a week. For metals, most of it is aluminium Observations during sampling showed that all customers
cans/tins. As for the “others,” the majority of these wastes who dine-in at the café must clean their own tables after
are polystyrene but sometimes there is also wood. During they finish their meals. All the leftover food is required to
peak times, because of insufficient plates, customers had to be thrown in a bin labelled “food waste,” and the dishes
use polystyrene plates. This is why the composition of must be placed in respective containers. For plastics,
polystyrene disposal is high. papers, and metals, the café practices resource recovery.
All recyclable materials are collected and sold.
Table 7 shows total solid waste generated at Park View
Solid Waste Generation and Composition during three weeks of sampling, except for Saturdays and
at Park View Café Sundays. The total of solid waste generated at Park View is
2979.70 kg. Thus, solid waste generated for each day is
Park View Café consists of two parts: an indoor area 198.65 kg. Based on Fig. 6, day 7 recorded the highest solid
and an outdoor area. All of the sales are conducted at the waste generated (231.00 kg), while day 5 recorded the low-
indoor area. The outdoor area is for dining purposes only. est solid waste generated (175.90 kg).

250,00 231,00
223,60
212,20 209,00
205,10 199,30 204,60
196,90
TotalWasteGenerated(kg)

194,10
200,00 183,10 185,10 186,60185,70 187,50
175,90

150,00

100,00

50,00

0,00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Day

Fig. 6. Graph of waste generated vs. day at Park View Café.

1976 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

Table 8. Statistical analysis results of waste generation at Park View Café.

Waste Composition (kg)
Parameters
Organic Waste Paper Plastic Metal Glass Others
Sum 2,846.60 26.40 41.40 50.20 10.20 4.70
Mean 189.77 1.76 2.76 3.35 0.68 0.31
SD 15.17 0.43 0.64 0.36 0.09 0.19
Variance 230.17 0.18 0.41 0.13 0.01 0.04
Minimum 168.60 1.00 2.20 2.70 0.50 0.10
Maximum 221.50 2.90 4.20 4.10 0.80 0.70

Table 8 shows that organic waste dominates the solid Table 9. One-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.
waste generated during three weeks of sampling (except for
Forestry Café Park View Café
Saturday and Sunday) by producing about 2846.60 kg, or
189.77 kg per day, while others only produced about N 15 15
4.70 kg or 0.31 kg per day. The highest value recorded is Mean 21.72 198.65
221.50 kg for organic waste and the lowest value recorded
is 0.10 kg for “others.” SD 4.76 15.68
For the solid waste composition at Park View Café, Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) 0.93 0.83
organic waste shows the highest percentage, comprising
96%. Fig. 7 illustrates the percentage of solid waste com-
position at Park View Café. Organic waste at Park View
Café consists mainly of processed kitchen waste such as Table 10. Statistical analysis results of solid waste generated
meat and vegetable and food waste. All cooking activity is (kg).
done at the café. So the raw materials such as meat and veg-
Solid Waste Generated (kg)
etables are processed there. Besides that, most of the cus- Parameters
tomers will dine-in at the café because of the huge dining Forestry Café Park View Café
area. So the percentage of food waste is rather high. Sum 325.750 2979.700
For paper and others, the composition is less than 1%. This
is because the customers that dine-in at the Café use the Mean 21.717 198.647
plates provided by the Café. Therefore, there is less con- SD 4.761 15.678
sumption of polystyrene.
Variance 22.671 245.796
Minimum 14.000 175.900
Maximum 29.150 231.000
Plastic Glass Metal
Others
Paper 1.40% 0.34% 1.68%
0.16%
0.89%
Statistical Analysis between Forestry Café
and Park View Café

A one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was done to

check the normality of the data collected. Large significant
values (>0.05) indicate that the observed distribution corre-
sponds to the theoretical distribution. Results (Table 9)
show that the test distribution is normal. The p values for
Forestry and Park View cafés are 0.93 and 0.83, respective-
OrganicWaste ly, which are more than 0.05.
95.53% Statistical analysis results for total solid waste generat-
ed (kg) for both cafés is summarised in Table 10. Using data
from both cafés, one-sample t-test is done to know whether
Fig. 7. Percentage of solid waste composition at Park View the differences in waste generated at both locations are sig-
Café. nificant. Based on the results (Table 11), there is significant
Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1977

Table 11. T-test.

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Location T Df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference
Lower Upper
Forestry Café 17.67 14 0.00 21.72 19.18 24.35
Park View Café 49.07 14 0.00 198.65 189.96 207.33

A) B)
5 5

4 4
Frequency

Frequency
3 3

2 2

1 1

0 0
10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 180.00 200.00 220.00 240.00
total total
N=15 N=15
Mean=21.72 (A) Mean=198.65 (B)
Std.Dev=4.76 Std.Dev=15.68
N = 15 N = 15
Fig. 8. Frequency distribution of total waste generated (kg) at (A) Forestry Café and (B) Park View Café.

difference between the two locations as p=0.00 at a signifi- clearly shows that the majority of the total waste generated
cance level of α=0.05. The mean of total solid waste gener- was >21.72 kg at Forestry and <198.65 kg at Park View.
ated at Forestry and Park View was 21.72 kg and 198.65, Based on the study area, Park View has a larger area
respectively. The significant difference is because more compared to Forestry. Indirectly, Park View produces more
customers visit Park View compared to Forestry, which solid waste since they operate at a larger scale. Fig. 9 shows
indicates why there is higher waste generated at Park View higher value for organic waste, paper, plastic, glass, and
daily. metal except for “others,” where Forestry produced more
Fig. 8 shows a histogram with normal curve for total than Park View. As mentioned before, Forestry produces a
waste generation at Forestry and Park View. The histogram higher amount of polystyrene.

3000
TotalWasteGenerated(kg)

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
Organic
Paper Plastic Glass Metal Others
Waste
ForestryCafe 263,3 7,9 25,2 2,05 16,3 11
ParkViewCafe 2846,60 26,40 41,60 10,20 50,20 4,70
Fig. 9. Total waste generated (kg) by composition.
1978 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

1200

TotalWasteGenerated(kg)
1000

800

600

400

200

0
Week1 Week2 Week3
ForestryCafe 86,75 117,65 121,35
ParkViewCafe 991,7 1029,5 958,5
Fig. 10. Total waste generated by week.

During the three weeks of sampling, based on Fig. 10 Table 13. Estimated revenues received from collected recy-
Forestry showed an increasing amount of solid waste gen- clable materials for Forestry Café.
erated week by week, but Park View showed fluctuating
results. For Park View, their amount of solid waste gener-
ated daily depends on the main menu of the day since they Total Amount Unit Estimated
have different menus for each day. Both of the cafés gen- Type Collected Price Revenue
erated higher waste during the second week because it (kg) (RM/kg) (RM)
was convocation week in Universiti Putra Malaysia, so Paper (Box) 7.90 0.22 1.74
there were more visitors at both cafés during the whole
week. Plastic 25.20 0.40 10.08
Metal (Can) 16.30 0.40 6.52
Total 18.34
Table 12. List price for recycled materials.

Material Price (RM/kg)

Newspaper 0.24 Waste Revenue
Black and White Paper 0.36
From the solid waste generated we can also estimate the
Box 0.22
waste revenue for each café. The list price for recycled mate-
Magazine 0.22 rials varies according to the current market price. Table 12
shows the price for recycled materials in Malaysia provid-
Mixed Paper 0.18
ed by the Ministry of Human Wellbeing, Housing and
Tetra Pack 0.50 Local Government’s (KPKT) website.
From Table 13 the estimation of waste revenue for
Can/Metal 0.40
three weeks (15 days) of sampling at Forestry Café is
CD/VCD Casing 0.20 RM18.34. So the average revenue they can get per day is
Aluminium can/Stainless Steel 3.00 RM1.22. In a month, Forestry Café can get approximate-
ly RM36.68. Thus, it can save about RM440.16 per year.
Car’s Battery 1.00 Based on the revenue recorded, plastic gives the highest
Plastic 0.40 price (RM10.08) and paper gives the lowest price
(RM1.74).
Glass - From Table 14, estimation for waste revenue for three
Computer 4.00 per unit weeks (15 days) of sampling at Park View Café is
RM66.58. So the average revenue they can get per day is
Used cooking oil 0.80 RM4.44. In a month, Park View Café can get approximate-
CD/VCD 0.60 ly RM133.20. Thus, it can save about RM1598.40 per year.
Based on the revenue recorded, aluminium gives the high-
The price for recycled materials above are varies according to
est price (RM26.10) and mixed paper gives the lowest price
the current market price.
Source: [22] (RM0.59).
Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1979

Table 14. Estimated revenues received from collected recy- cerning a particular type of municipal solid waste which is
clable materials for Park View Café. “tropical campus waste.” The primary aim is to develop a
Total Amount Unit Estimated representative estimation of the composition of the univer-
Type Collected Price Revenue sity’s municipal solid waste stream. The study was con-
(kg) (RM/kg) (RM) ducted at the main campus. Twelve samples were taken
over a four-week period. The daily waste was separated into
Paper (Box) 17.50 0.22 3.85
organics (55%), plastics (30%), paper (11%), glass (1%),
Paper (Mixed paper) 3.30 0.18 0.59 and metal (2%), plus rubber, leather, and wood (1%).
Paper (Tetra pack) 5.60 0.50 2.80 Organic waste showed the highest percentage while glass,
rubber, and leather and wood showed the lowest percent-
Plastic 41.60 0.40 16.64 age.
Metal (Can) 41.50 0.40 16.60 Other research that has been done is household solid
waste characteristics and management in a low-cost apart-
Metal (Aluminium) 8.70 3.00 26.10 ment in Petaling Jaya, Selangor by Yatim [19]. One of the
Total 66.58 objectives of the study was to characterise the generation of
waste. Three-hundred and sixty samples were collected
over a six-week period from 60 households. Organic waste
(43.5%), plastic (25.2%), and paper (22.7%) showed the
Discussion leading percentages.
The latest research that has been conducted is real data
Based on the results, food waste dominates solid waste composition of municipal solid waste generated in
stream at both cafés. As we know, food waste contains Balakong, Selangor, Malaysia by Samah [20], whose aim
mainly organic matter. Burying organic waste in a landfill was to study solid waste composition in Balakong,
is a big problem because it breaks down and creates harm- Selangor. The area covered eight residential areas, two
ful greenhouse gases like methane, which damages the industrial areas, and one hypermarket. The sampling was
Earth’s atmosphere if the waste is not treated properly. conducted for one month on a daily basis. Organic waste
There are many benefits that we can get by recycling organ- showed the highest percentage (48.07%), followed by
ic waste. Besides protecting the environment, we can also paper (29.53%), plastic (16.69%), others (2.65%), glass
save money. (1.90%), and metal (1.16%).
Responsible parties at both cafés must provide sepa- Other research that has been done is household solid
rate bins for waste disposal. One for organic waste like waste composition in Balakong City, Malaysia: trend and
food waste and another for inorganic waste like paper, management by Samah et al. [21]. The paper focuses on the
plastic, glass, metal, and other. Using the collected food trend and management of the household solid waste com-
waste, composting can be practiced. Food waste can be position generated. A survey was conducted at eight hous-
recycled in several ways, including in-vessel composting ing areas in a one-month period on a daily basis. Organic
and anaerobic digestion. In-vessel composting involves wastes (69.4%) record the highest percentage, followed by
mixing food waste with garden waste, shredding it, and plastic (10.3%), paper (9.3%), other waste (5.4%), and
then composting it in an enclosed system for around glass (3.2%). Metal (2.4%) shows the lowest percentage.
2-4 weeks. Meanwhile, anaerobic digestion uses microor-
ganisms to break down food waste, animal manure, slur- Conclusion
ries, and energy crops in the absence of oxygen, inside an
enclosed system. For inorganic waste, it can be sent to recy- This paper provides an opportunity to study solid waste
cle. Apart from waste minimisation, they also can gain generation and composition at Administrative Building
money. Cafés, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Results clearly show that
For Park View, they already segregate their waste. organic waste dominates the solid waste composition at
For food waste, they directly dispose of the waste in a Forestry Café and Park View Café at approximately 81%
garbage bin. For inorganic waste like paper, plastic, and and 96%, respectively. The high organic waste indicates the
metal, they send it for recycling. For Forestry they do not necessity for frequent collection and removal, thus can be
practice waste segregation. All their wastes are directly dis- efficient for generating added-value products (e.g. com-
posed of into one garbage bin. Then, after the café is closed, post/manure, biogas, etc.). So, UPM should develop a pol-
the waste is collected and disposed of at a larger garbage icy that makes it compulsory for cafés in UPM to separate
bin. their recyclable wastes. A proper way to dispose of food
Much research has been conducted regarding waste waste (organic waste) can be introduced. UPM should pro-
generation and composition in Malaysia. Most of them pose to buy its own composting machine to produce organ-
show that organic waste dominates the waste stream in ic fertiliser. Other waste such as paper, plastic, metal, and
Malaysia, for example a municipal solid waste composition other composition that has value can be sent to a recycling
study at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia by Tiew [18] con- centre.
1980 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

Appendix 1. Sampling method at Forestry Café.

(D) Weighing process.

(A) Solid waste generated in a day.

(B) Segregation by its composition based on Malaysian stan- (E) Sampling process completed.
dards.

Metal Plastic Others Food

Glass

(C) Complete waste segregation.

Analysis of Municipal Solid... 1981

Appendix 2. Sampling method at Park View Café.

Metal
Food

Others

MixedWaste
Paper
Plastic
(A) Sampling site.
(D) Segregation by its composition based on Malaysian stan-
dards.

(B) Waste generated in a day.

(E) Weighing process.

(C) Waste segregation.

(F) Sampling process complete.

1982 Hamid K. B. A., et al.

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