2016 Eco Expo Asia: A fresh perspective
2016 Eco Expo Asia: A fresh perspective
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Julius de Jong of Netherlands- and Myanmar-based Orgaworld Asia BV says the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream in most of Asia is richer in fresh food scraps than other parts of the world, creating challenges to traditional dry recycling technologies but clear opportunities for organic material diversion.
Speaking at a seminar that was part of the 2016 Eco Expo Asia event in Hong Kong in late October, de Jong said waste characterisation studies show that “62%, on average” of the MSW generated in Asia consists of organic waste, much of it fresh fruit, vegetable, meat and fish scraps. Of that, he says, “90% is available for recovery.”
Unfortunately, said de Jong, in much of China and in Hong Kong itself traditional mass burn incinerators or waste-to-energy (WTE) plants are being used to handle a stream “that has a low calorific value for this type of waste-to-energy system.” Part of the MSW stream also goes to landfills, where such food scraps ultimately contribute to methane gas and CO2 emissions, he added.
Thus, de Jong said, the MSW is being handled hygienically and reduced in volume, accomplishing two important goals, but jurisdictions are missing out on the crucial opportunity of recovering resources and nutrients contained in fresh food scraps.
De Jong said mechanical biological treatment (MBT) methods, including anaerobic digestion and composting, provide the optimal way to process these organic materials, creating compost, fertilizers or biogas with market value from this fraction of the waste stream. He said such systems carry lower capital costs than mass burn WTE plants
Today’s solid waste policy makers in Asia, said de Jong, “have a very important responsibility. The decisions they make today will have a long-term impact in terms of not passing on today’s waste problems to our children and future generations. It is the difference between ordinary waste management and sustainable waste management.”
For Asia to upgrade the way it handles these materials, de Jong said both the collection infrastructure and people’s habits would have to change. He called food processing plants, hotels, restaurants and other large generators of such scrap “low hanging fruit” that policy makers should target to begin diverting food scraps.
Relative to organics collection, Eco Expo Asia exhibitor Associated Engineers Ltd. (AEL), based in Hong Kong, is offering bin-sized collection devices designed to provide an incentive to companies and people who recycle their food scraps.
Jude Chow, the company’s group managing director, says AEL’s “smart weighing system promotes waste sorting at source, as end users separate and place food waste into our smart bins.” A smart card tracking system, adds Chow, weighs the individual contribution of each user and can be tied to “a point incentive scheme [that] can be implemented to encourage source reduction and to promote food waste recycling.”
Chow says the ideal placement spots for such bins include apartment complexes and housing estates, shopping centers and office parks.
The 2016 Eco Expo Asia, organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, was Oct. 26-29 at the AsiaWorld-Expo convention center in Hong Kong.
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Source: Recycling Today
2016 Eco Expo Asia: A fresh perspective
<![CDATA[Julius de Jong of Netherlands- and Myanmar-based Orgaworld Asia BV says the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream in most of Asia is richer in fresh food scraps than other parts of the world, creating challenges to traditional dry recycling technologies but clear opportunities for organic material diversion. Speaking at a seminar that was part of the 2016 Eco Expo Asia event in Hong Kong in late October, de Jong said waste characterisation studies show that “62%, on average” of the MSW generated in Asia consists of organic waste, much of it fresh fruit, vegetable, meat and fish scraps. Of that, he says, “90% is available for recovery.” Unfortunately, said de Jong, in much of China and in Hong Kong itself traditional mass burn incinerators or waste-to-energy (WTE) plants are being used to handle a stream “that has a low calorific value for this type of waste-to-energy system.” Part of the MSW stream also goes to landfills, where such food scraps ultimately contribute to methane gas and CO2 emissions, he added. Thus, de Jong said, the MSW is being handled hygienically and reduced in volume, accomplishing two important goals, but jurisdictions are missing out on the crucial opportunity of…