KUCHING: A Resource Chemistry graduate from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Jeff Wee, 24, is currently conducting a pilot environment-friendly project to turn organic waste into fertiliser with the help of maggots here.
His three-month long Wormingup Project, which began on 1 March this year and ends at the end of May, is supported by Padawan Municipal Council (MPP); the council helps him to collect organic waste from the Third Mile Wet Market and sends it to his farm at Kota Sentosa.
“The organic waste consists of rotten vegetables, fruits, inner organs, bones, fish heads and other things. This project is already helping the council to save some money in terms of waste tonnage and the cost of transportation and waste collection fees to Trienekens Sdn Bhd.
“We are now trying to educate the people, especially the hawkers at wet markets, to separate the organic waste from other waste materials such as plastic bags and polystyrene.
“Normally, I will come to this wet market at least four days a week to monitor and check the progress of the project because I need to ensure the wastes are separated before the organic waste is sent to the farm. We don’t want to collect rubbish,” Wee told the press during a walkabout programme by Local Government Minister, Professor Datuk Dr. Sim Kui Hian at the market yesterday.
Under the project, MPP has succeeded in collecting 4.5 tonnes of organic waste from the wet market.
Wee runs the farm which he sets up on his grandmother’s land at Kota Sentosa with the help of his girlfriend and some part-time workers.
“When MPP sends the organic waste to our farm, the first thing my workers will do is to kill the germs by boiling the waste,” he explained.
“After that, we will mix the organic waste and generate the enzyme to accelerate further decomposition. We keep it for at least three days and after that, the product of the enzyme will be used to feed the maggots,
“The maggots will eat the waste after it goes through the enzyme process and produce fertiliser. The fertiliser will be dried. It can also be used as a protein source to feed the chicken.”
Wee said that he was using maggots from the jungle for the project.
“The jungle maggots can eat the waste faster than the house maggots. They are also free of diseases.
“We took three months to collect the maggots in the jungles of Bau and Serikin,” he disclosed.
Wee hopes that the government can help him to expand his project.
At the end of May, Wee will present the results of his project to Local Government Minister, Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian. Sim, in turn, will propose the project to the government.
The Minister told the press yesterday: “I am very interested in this pilot project. My ministry will study it and promote it to others.
“Wee has been doing a good job but he still needs the government support to promote it further.”
