Le Méridien Petaling Jaya Launches Food Waste Management: Embracing a Circular Approach to Life
11 July 2024
PETALING JAYA, 11 JULY 2024 – Le Méridien Petaling Jaya, a proud member of the WCT Holdings Berhad (“WCT”) and Marriott International, is excited to announce the launch of a revolutionary Food Waste Management initiative. This initiative, in partnership with Entomal Biotech Sdn Bhd, underscores the hotel’s commitment to sustainable practices by significantly reducing the hotel’s food waste sent to landfills through improved food waste management, thereby reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint.
The food waste management process involves adopting the Entomal Mobile Bioconversion System (EMBC), which efficiently transforms food waste into two key products: nutrient-rich insect protein and organic fertilizer. The protein serves as sustainable animal feed for urban livestock farmers, while the fertilizer enhances soil quality for urban farming and landscaping. This circular approach not only addresses food waste challenges but also converts it into valuable commodities, embodying the essence of a circular economy and reducing carbon emissions.
As part of this initiative, the hotel meticulously tracks the following data:
• Monthly Food Waste: The amount of food waste processed.
• Carbon Emissions Reduction: The decrease in carbon emissions as a result of reduced landfill contributions.
• Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production: The kilos of larvae produced, which serve as a high-protein feed for local fish and chicken farmers.
• Frass Production: The kilos of frasses produced, which is utilized as organic fertilizer.
The comprehensive tracking ensures that the hotel can measure its impact accurately and make informed decisions to further improve its sustainability practices.
Christopher Moore, General Manager of Le Méridien Petaling Jaya said “The hotel’s primary goal for starting this initiative was to align the hotel with WCT & Marriott through Serve360 activation of sustainability practices and to contribute to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. Since the onsite activation of the system in April 2024, the programme has reduced the hotel’s landfill food waste by approximately 1.2 tons or 1,200kg per month.
The effort not only enhances the hotel’s operational efficiency but also raises awareness about food waste among its guests and employees. The hotel’s dedicated team, including members from Engineering, Stewarding, and Culinary departments, manages everything from waste collection to processing and final product utilization.”
To date, the total collection of food waste being treated is 3,175.9kg, total larvae protein harvested 485.05kg, total fertilizer harvested 698.30kg, total carbon emission equivalent prevented 7.93tons CO2 eq, and total of trees saved 782 units.
Yanni Xinyan, Commercial Officer of Entomal Biotech Sdn Bhd said “The method of decomposing that has been activated through EMBC consumes lesser energy and produces a significant lesser amount of methane gas into the environment, making this much safer approach.
As we are aware, food waste in the hospitality industry is a significant issue with both environmental and economic implications. We applaud Le Méridien Petaling Jaya for taking the important step towards reducing waste sent to the landfill and embracing the circular economy.”
“This initiative brings numerous benefits to the hotel and the broader community. Not only does the hotel make tangible contributions to reducing landfill waste, but its efforts also support local farmers by providing them with nutrient-rich bug larvae and organic frass fertilizer, promoting a more sustainable and circular agricultural ecosystem”, concludes Christopher Moore.
