Application of Material Flow Analysis for Household Waste Management in Terengganu

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 9s, (2020), pp. 1807-1815

Application Of Material Flow Analysis For Household Waste Management In Terengganu

1latifah Abdul Ghani, 2nor Fatin Alias, 3noor Zalina Mahmood, 4siti Aisyah Saat 1,2,4School of Social and Economic Development, University Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Malaysia, 3ISB, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, 51030 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, *Corresponding author email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract Household waste management becomes a major problem as it contributes a higher amount of organic waste composition in Malaysia. A study of household waste management using Material Flow Analysis (MFA) in Terengganu was the aim of identifying and quantifying the input and output flow of household waste in 2018 in order to achieve a more systematic household waste management. The application of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) in this study is relevant in monitoring waste flows and substances within the model for household waste management. The model of the system includes four main subsystems: waste generation, storage, market user, and final disposal. The data used are secondary data collected from in-depth interviews with officers in charge, document analysis, data analysis and literature review. The obtained result indicated that the input of waste imported to the MFA system in Terengganu was about 148.1 ktons of household waste per year with 82% of the waste input generated from the kitchen subsystem of waste flow. The outputs of flow in the system were mainly from wastewater, recycling and composting. This study also found that, the waste generation output flow of household recycling activity was only 2.04 ktons per year, and the output flow of household composting activity among household was only 0.56 ktons per year. It is recommended that in the future, household waste with enriched organic compound can be reused through the introduction of home composting activities that can convert waste into fertilizer products. At the same time, separating waste from the source, according to non-recyclable and recyclable items can help manage household wastes. Offering incentives to households to engage in recycling activity can helps in increase awareness and encourage participation among them.

Index Terms: Household waste, Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Waste Management, Minimize Waste, Terengganu.

Introduction In most of developing countries, a systematic and efficient management of solid waste is valuable to sustain life in a healthy environment. The increasing rate of solid waste generated from human activities becomes a problem to human health and the environment. The amount of waste generated per day in Malaysia is about 30,000 tonnes and it is increasing at a rate of three percent annually (Choon, Tan, Chong, 2017). The pattern of the increasing amount of solid waste generation in Terengganu is similar to that of other states in Malaysia. Solid waste in Kuala Terengganu increased from 8.7 metric tonnes per day in 1970 to 154 metric tonnes per day in 2005.The highest composition of waste is dominated by organic waste, which comprises more than 60% of the total generated solid waste. Household waste contributes to most of the organic waste generation in Malaysia. This situation needs to be taken seriously as waste generation will continue to increase in the future (Nawawi, Sopiah, Norazlin, & Norzaidi, 2017). By taking this issue into consideration, solid waste management in Malaysia is still in the initial stage in terms of facilities, treatments, and techniques. The issue of poor solid waste management has become a challenge for many developing countries. Recently, the discussion of resources recovery from waste disposal as alternatives toward energy efficiency helps to solve solid waste management at landfill sites (Masebinu, Akinlabi, Muzenda, Aboyade, & Mbohwa, 2017). However, a systematic analysis is needed to study the material flow into and out of solid waste management system. In this study, Material Flow Analysis was applied as a

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systematic analysis. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is a system that functions as an assessment tool for the flows and stocks of materials and elements within a system, with a defined space and time (Brunner & Ruchberger, 2004). A complex system of waste management can be evaluated in terms of determining the source of waste generation, input and output flow of materials, the problems occurring in the waste system, sources for reducing waste, and potential opportunities for recycling (Masebinu et al, 2017). MFA has proven to be a suitable instrument for early recognition of environmental problems and development of solutions to these problems. It is possible to combine data from market research with data from urban waste management, in order to observe the metabolism of urban regions. MFA was also used to aid the identification of the process route, factor location, problems, and opportunities which exist in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the city of Johannesburg. The finding indicated that from the existing waste management strategy using MFA, there is a huge potential to recover more than 300,000 tonnes per year of recyclable materials through material recovery facilities, while non-recyclable materials of 251980 tonnes per year can be diverted into mechanical biological treatment for both resources recovery and energy extraction (Masebinu et al, 2017). Furthermore, the application of MFA is also compatible to be used as an integrative method for achieving a sustainable city. A study conducted in Indonesia had aimed to determine the critical MSW flow at landfills in order to be repaired and developed into a sustainable waste structure (Annisa, 2016). In this paper, the study of household waste management using Material Flow Analysis (MFA) in Terengganu was aimed at identifying and quantifying the input and output flow of household waste in 2018 in order to achieve a more systematic household waste management. The application of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) in this study is relevant in monitoring waste flows and substances within the model for household waste management and examining all the input and output flow in the household system of Terengganu. The unit of waste counted in this studied was in kilotons per year.

Materials and Methods A. Field site and system boundaries Terengganu has been chosen as the area of study in this research. Terengganu is a state located in the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia with the approximate coordinates of 4º45’N 103º0’E. Terengganu comprises eight districts; Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Marang, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu, Kemaman, Setiu and Besut with the 253200 population of households out of 1.23 million of population in Terengganu (UPENT, 2017). There are nine operating landfills available in Terengganu. So, the generation of household waste in Terengganu has become a concern as it contributes to 64 percent of waste generated. The data on household waste generation was counted in kilotons per year obtained for 2018. The system boundaries taken into consideration in this study are the generation of household waste, the system of household waste, home composting, recycling, wastewater discharge from the system, sorting or recycling, market use and final disposal of waste in Terengganu.

Fig. 1. Map of Terengganu state and pictures during interview session with official in charge (KPKT. 2007; Author, 2018)

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B. Collection of Data The primary data collected in this study are the data on household waste generation gained from interviews with the officers in charge of each district of Terengganu, landfill workers, housewives, and local authorities. Besides, a site visits to nine operating landfills and available recycling centres in Terengganu were also conducted. A review of the documented data was unable to provide a clear picture on how certain situations occurs. Field observation might have helped better to understand people’s behaviours, needs, habits, and social within their environment. Secondary data was obtained from the literature review and the document review by the officers. Table 1 summarizes the materials involved in this system, their units and sources of the obtained data. Fig. 1 above shows map of Terengganu, which includes its eight districts and several photos of the interview sessions with officers in charge.

Table 1: Material and theirs unit that involved in this MFA System

Material Equation Unit Sources

Household waste (ktons/y)=[(0.58/ capita) ×household in ktons/y MBKT: Kuala Terengganu generation Terengganu]× 0.01 Town Council

MDM: Marang District Council

MDS: Setiu District Council

MDB: Besut District Council

MDHT: Hulu Terengganu District Council

MPD: Dungun Municipal Council

MPK: Kemaman Municipal Council (2018)

푚3 3 Water Supply PE= : 0.23606 × 푝표푝푢푙푎푡푖표푛 m /day Farah (2016) 푑푎푦

푚3 3 Wastewater PE : 0.225 × 푝표푝푢푙푎푡푖표푛 m /day Farah (2016) 푑푎푦

Recycling activity =(0.055× amount of household waste t/a Dinie(2013), informal generation) recycler

Composting activity =(0.01× amount of household waste t/a Dinie (2013) generation)

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C. Material Flow Analysis

Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is a systematic assessment tool for the flows and stocks of materials in a defined space and time (Makarichi, Techato, & Jutidamrongphan, 2018). MFA can be presented on two levels, i.e. good and substances. When performed, on the level of substance, Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) is used and usually involves the flow of toxic, heavy metal or other chemical compounds (Makarichi et al, 2018). In this study, Material Flow Analysis (MFA) was used as an assessment tool for household waste in Terengganu because it involves the level of goods, i.e. solid waste. By implementing the MFA system into household waste management in Terengganu, the problems related to waste management can be identified by having a clear picture of the flows of goods in this system; thus, a strategy can be adopted to combat the problem.

Results and Discussion D. Household Waste Management and Quantification in Terengganu

The general of household waste management in Terengganu can be described from the generation of wastes. The waste generated from households are collected and transferred to landfills on garbage trucks assigned by local authorities. The separation and treatment processes separate items, which can be reused and recycled, from non-recyclable item which will be disposed at the landfill sites. The household waste is disposed at the landfill sites as a final disposal (Eada, Ho, Kasypi, Nurain, & Alia, 2018).

Fig. 2. Amount of waste generated from household based on their types

The household waste generation in Terengganu for 2018 is summarized based on the bar chart from Fig.2 above. The result indicates that the generation of food waste from Terengganu household dominated the highest proportion compares to others with a value of 56.03 ktons per year, i.e. 47 percent generation. The major solid waste generated in Malaysia including Terengganu, is food waste (Nawawi, Sopiah, Norazlin, & Norzaidi, 2017). Because food is the essential needs of the people, food waste production was the highest; with 47 percent generation compared to others types of waste. A study conducted in Seberang Takir, Terengganu, indicated that residents tend to throw organic waste rather than recycling them as compost, or using them for other purposes (Jaafar, Tengku, Awanis, Kadir, & Razali, 2017). The second highest proportion of household waste was mainly generated from recyclable items such as plastics, paper, glass and metal, with a value of 36.96 ktons per year, i.e. 31% generation. The types of waste paper were found in the form of paper scrapes, packing papers, and discarded papers from human’s activities. Plastic and paper composition was among the highest due to lifestyle changes, where consumers prefer to buy packaged processes foods (Jaafar et al, 2017). Garden waste was the lowest amount of household waste generation, with 3.97 ktons per year.

D. Material Flow Analysis for Household Waste Management in Terengganu Fig. 3 below illustrates the Material Flow Analysis (MFA) input and output of household waste. The input flow in the household waste system involved waste generated from gardens, kitchens,

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bathrooms, and others, whereas the output flow of this system was mainly food waste, recyclable waste, non-recyclable waste, garden waste, wastewater production and methane emission.

Fig. 3. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) input and output of household waste

Table 2: Input and Output flow of household waste in Terengganu Input/Output Total Generation in Terengganu Population of household: 253200 Input Kitchen 120.42 ktons/year Garden 4.41 ktons/year Others 22.03 ktons/year Bathroom 59770 푚3 /day/cap Output Food Waste 56.03 ktons/year Recyclable item 36.96 ktons/year Non-recyclable item 26.23 ktons/year Home Composting 0.56 ktons/year Garden Waste 3.97 ktons/year Wastewater 56970 푚3 /day/cap

From Table 2, the total amount of household waste input, imported to the MFA household waste system was about 148.1 ktons per year for 2018. The amount of household waste generated contributed to 64% of the entire solid waste generated in Terengganu in 2018. The total input flow for the household system in Terengganu was 148.1 ktons per year, with the input of water supply flow about 59770 푚3 per day/cap by demand. The total output of the waste flow for this system was 89.53 ktons per year, with wastewater production of 56970 푚3 /day/cap. The solid waste generated in Kuala Terengganu increased from 8.7 metric tonnes per day in 1970 to 154 metric tonnes per day in 2005. In general, the Kuala Terengganu City Council (MBKT) is also collects 300 tonnes of solid waste per day in clean-up operations in the city (Nawawi et al, 2017).

Table 3: The Waste Flow From Household’s Generation For Each District In Terengganu District Input flow Output flow Stocks Comment (ktons/year) (ktons/year) (ktons/year) Kuala 46.92 43.87 ±3.05 The input flow of the waste Terengganu and generated from this districts are the Kuala Nerus most highest in from other districts as the number of household in Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu are 81000 (UPENT, 2018). The

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input flow of the waste can be minimizing by the practicing of waste separation from the source. Kemaman 27.38 25.60 ±1.78 The input flow of waste generation from this district is 27.38 ktons per year (UPENT, 2018). Kemaman generated the highest input household waste flow waste in Terengganu system The input flow of the waste can be reducing by the practicing of 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) among the households. Dungun 21.52 20.12 ±1.40 The input flow of waste from Dungun was 21.52 ktons per year of the generation. The input from this household waste can be minimizing to 10% of generation in the future by the recycling activity practicing among the household. Setiu 7.77 7.26 ±0.51 The input flow of waste generation from Setiu was the lowest with 7.77 ktons per year. Setiu denoted as the district with the lowest number of household in Terengganu (UPENT, 2018).Thus, Setiu is not contributed to the worst subsystem of waste flow. In the future, the waste flow in Setiu can be reducing to 10% of reduction from the exact amount by the practicing of recycling activity. Besut 18.97 17.74 ±1.23 The input flow of waste in Besut was 18.97 ktons per year. Marang 14.21 13.29 ±0.92 The input flow of waste in Marang was 14.21 ktons per year of waste generation in Terengganu. The population in Marang. In the future, the separation of waste at the source by the household helps in minimizing the waste. Hulu 10.03 9.38 ±0.65 The input flow of household waste Terengganu in Hulu Terengganu was 10.03 ktons per year. The generation of waste is low as the population is also low with the amount of populations.

Table 3 above shows the waste input and output of household waste of the eight districts in Terengganu. It indicated that Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus contributed the most input flow to the Terengganu household system with 46.92 ktons per year, while Setiu contributed the least amount of household waste, with an input flow of 0.51 ktons per year. This system indicated that the input flow from Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus dominated the generation of waste in Terengganu’s household system. This contributory cause factor was due to the different numbers of household population in each region. Other than that, to minimize waste generation, the separation activity of waste from the source

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should be applied in the system for Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus. In addition, the higher level of income and urbanized economy indicated a higher level of solid waste generation per capita [15]

Fig. 4. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) for household system in Terengganu for 2018 Fig. 4 above illustrates, that the total input flow of this system was contributed by sources from kitchens, gardens, bathrooms, and others. From kitchen activity, food waste, recyclable items and non-recyclable items were generated. Food waste contributed the highest amount of waste, with 56.03 ktons per year, i.e. 47% of waste generation, followed by recyclable items, garden waste and non- recyclable items. Major component found of municipal waste in Malaysia found to be food waste follow by paper and plastics with 80% of overall generation (Dinie & Mashitah, 2013). Besides, it's supported by the study of Izzan et al., (2018) in Seberang Takir, Terengganu indicated that the highest

proportion of waste composition contributed from food waste. Most activities occurring in the kitchen, such as cooking and cleaning, produced waste. The input flow of recyclable items generated 36.96 ktons of waste per year in this system. Recycling practice by the residential in Terengganu is at still at a low rate of 5.5%. Only 2.04 ktons of recyclable items per year were transferred to recycling centres, while the output flow of non-recyclable items disposed to landfill sites were 26.23 ktons per year. Garden waste input flow in this system was 4.41 ktons per year, while the rest of the household waste came from the input flow of others wastes at 22.03 ktons per year. The water supply for household system in Terengganu was 59770 푚3/day/cap. The increase in the number of population demands a higher input of water consumption (Farah, Dasimah, & Karuppannan, 2016). The output flow of the household system in Terengganu generated wastewater output and composting output flow. The production of wastewater output flow for the 253, 200 household population of Terengganu was 56970 푚3per day per capita with 95.32% of wastewater was produced from the water supply demand. The hot and humid weather in Terengganu requires residents to consume more water for drinking, bathing, food preparation and others. The output flow of the wastewater is treated by Indah Water Consortium using advanced technology, whereas the conventional treatment of wastewater practiced by the residents, involves the output flow of wastewater into the environment. Composting activity only showed an occurrence of one percent. The output flow from home composting activities produced about 0.56 ktons of generation per year and can be reused for gardening. The composition of home composts consisted of kitchen and garden waste. The awareness among residents regarding the importance of composting and recycling can improve the percentage of involvement, thus can help to reduce waste to the landfill sites for final disposed. Methane gas produced from waste disposal at landfill sites and/or open dumping is estimated to be emitted into the atmosphere (Qayyum & Norahikin, 2017). The exact calculation was not taken into account for this

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system, as it only focused on the input and output flow of waste. From the MFA system of household waste management, the kitchen waste subsystem was identified as the most problematic subsystem. Kitchen waste contributed to most of the waste generated in the household system, with an input flow of 120.42 ktons per year. 99% of kitchen waste consisted of food waste, which are usually disposed at landfill sites. Food waste from the kitchen degrades the landfill soil, depriving it of oxygen producing leachate that pollutes the environment.

E. Alternatives to Improve the Household Waste Management in Terengganu Table 4:. Alternatives To Improve The Household Waste Management In Terengganu. Alternatives Suggested 1) Improving Recycling Activity Improving the percentage of recycling activities from 5.5% to 10% can minimize the disposal of solid waste in landfills. A survey conducted in Terengganu which focused on food waste recycling, indicated that respondents would be interested to initiate a food waste recycling business if the operation and maintenance were easy to conduct. They are aware that by recycling waste, income can be generated as well (Nawawi et al, 2017). Furthermore, offering incentives to households to engage in recycling activities can increase the rate of household waste recycling. 2) ) Implementing The Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) The implementation of Act 672 was enforced in 201 only for residents of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Malacca, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Kedah, and Johor, which made it compulsory to separate waste at the sources (Choon, Tan, & Chong, 2017). Nonetheless, Terengganu is currently exempted from enforcing this act. With the implementation of Act 672, solid waste management and public cleansing, including management and operation of landfills by the local authorities have been taken over from the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWPC). The Corporation also identifies and evaluates sanitary landfills, transfer stations, incinerator technology and plant management for disposal purposes. Besides, the Corporation helps to monitor the compliance with their standards, specifications, and practices and also plays a role in encouraging public involvement and raising awareness to ensure quality improvement of solid waste management and public cleansing services in Peninsular Malaysia. 3) Promoting Home Compost Promoting home composting of organic waste can reduce more than 50% of organic materials from ending up at landfill sites, thus extending the lifetime of the landfill. Organic waste comprises food waste and garden waste. About 60% of organic waste generated from the household is disposed in landfills without being turned into compost (Aeskina, Wahidah, & Noratifah, 2017). Composting organic waste from gardens and kitchens can transform it into an organic fertilizer for gardening, which is safe for plants, as well as the environment. Small-scale home composting is more effective in term of operation and maintenance cost rather than large scale industrial fertilization (Dhokhikah & Trihadiningrum, 2012). 4) Practicing Separation at Source The process of separating recyclable materials at the point of generation is done with the aid of a separation container. Waste separation at the source can reduce the amount of waste disposed at the landfill sites. By practicing waste separation at the source, handling becomes easier because the waste is separated according to its specific categories. Public campaigns should instill the importance of waste separation, since the current limitation is mainly due to low awareness and inadequate equipment for the sorting process. Local authorities should provide residents with separate disposal bins to encourage waste sorting practice.

Conclusion From this study, the application of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as an assessment tool has provided a clear graphic to understanding the household waste flow in Terengganu. This study has been able to identify the input and output flow that occurs in the household waste system. The highlight of this study showed that, household waste flow contributed 64% of waste generation. The amount of food waste disposed to landfills from household needs to be reduced in the future. Additionally, the low rates of recycling activities and home composting by the residents need to be improved in order to minimize waste disposal at landfill sites and/or open dumps. Several alternatives have been suggested

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likes separating waste at the sources and improving recycling activities; both of which will help in minimizing solid waste generation in the future. A systematic management of the household can be achieved using this MFA system as a guideline.

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