Food waste has been recognised as an environmental issue over the last decade. While it may seem like a trivial matter, food waste, especially in an urban context, has severe environmental and public health consequences that can negatively affect the environment and human well-being.
Back in 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimated that about a third of the world’s food was lost or wasted every year. And much has changed in the global perception of the problem with the inclusion of sustainable consumption and production in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With a growing population in various Southeast Asian cities like Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, it’s no surprise that the cities’ infrastructure is put under extreme pressure with the need to provide clean water, sewage treatment, public transport, maintain urban hygiene, build waste treatment facilities, provide education and health services.
That said, cities also provide unique opportunities for food waste management. Among the strategies known are composting and anaerobic digestion. The former is a treatment that breaks down biodegradable waste by naturally occurring micro-organisms with oxygen, in an enclosed vessel, while the latter breaks down biodegradable waste in the absence of oxygen, producing renewable energy such as biogas.
This is where MEIKO’s Green Waste Solution comes in. Specializing in food waste management technologies, MEIKO’s solutions have set the standard while revolutionizing the industry with its reliably closed food waste systems that leave nothing behind. In this article, we discover some of the technological innovations brought about by MEIKO’s emphasis on making the world a cleaner place.
TYPES OF FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FROM MEIKO
At MEIKO, we offer three types of food waste management systems – pump systems, vacuum systems, and dewatering systems, each tailored to different kinds of kitchens.
PUMP SYSTEMS
Synonymous with reliability, excellent hygiene, and easy handling, MEIKO’s pump systems allows for leftovers and kitchen waste to be shredded directly at the input stations for maximum flexibility and odourless storage.
The BioMaster waste disposal unit converts waste into homogeneous biomass, which is pumped directly into the storage tank in the tank farm and other onsite food waste treatment, where it can be stored odourlessly for weeks at room temperature. Also, the biomass is suitable for anaerobic digestion.
VACUUM SYSTEMS
Often, leftovers and kitchen waste are collected in buckets and bins. But a more hygienic and less labour intensive solution to this would be MEIKO’s vacuum systems, which are tailor-made to your kitchen organisation and at the same time, optimise your workflow. Also, the system is capable of transporting food waste over a long distance,making it suitable for large operations.
The WasteStar FC is a fully automated disposal system by vacuum, making it the ideal food waste management system for commercial kitchens, which collects organic waste exactly where it’s produced – directly at the workplace. The vacuum pump sucks the waste at specified intervals through a stainless-steel pipe system and directs it into a collection tank or any onsite food waste treatment system.
DEWATERING SYSTEMS
Different from the previous two food waste management systems, this solution caters for all requirements and applications, be it at sea or on land. That said, our dewatering system is a standalone food waste management system that grinds and dewaters food waste without a collection tank, allowing for maximum flexibility.
With MEIKO’s AZP, food waste is fed through a flume to the comminution plant, which consists of a rotating grinding disc with milling and cutting teeth made of tungsten carbide with a sieve ring, pump housing and motor. Integrated pump impeller blades create a suction effect that transports shredded residues to the solid’s separator, where dewatering takes place. The volumetric weight of food waste will largely be reduced for ease of storage, transport, or even further treatment.
So, there they are; the different types of food waste management systems by meiko. Whichever you choose for your kitchen, you can have a proper food waste management system while supporting the global sustainable goal of reducing waste responsibly.
As one of the top warewashing technology manufacturers in the world, MEIKO offers some of the most advanced food waste disposal machines available on the market. With an emphasis on making the world a cleaner place by using innovative technology for warewashing, cleaning, and disinfection, MEIKO can guarantee you clean solutions wherever and whenever you need them.
