Recycling nature’s way through composting

NATURAL ecosystems are multiple complexly interwoven cycles – life, nitrogen, water, and carbon.

Photo shows the MBKS Green Centre at the Stutong Community Market.

Composting is a natural cycle in which organic matter – leftover vegetables and fruits, coffee grinds and tea bags, bones – through the action of decomposers such as bacteria, fungi and insects, are broken into components that plants can then use for growth – the cycle of life.
This ecologically sound method for recycling organic matter has been included in the ‘Green Initiative’ programme of the Kuching South City Council (MBKS), which operates a recycling centre at the Stutong Community Market, enabling residents to exchange recyclable items (plastic, paper) for household goods under its ‘Buy Back Programme’.
Commercial composting MBKS environment and health officer Kho Joo Huat said it is very expensive to get rid of plant and animal waste from markets. Commercial composting is a way to reduce costs, pollution and carbon dioxide production, while making high quality natural fertiliser.
In May 2011, he oversaw the setting up of the first MBKS Green Centre at the market and then another at the Petanak Market in 2013.
Kho and his team facilitated a talk and demonstration on composting recently, organised by the Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch at the MBKS Green Centre at Stutong Market.
The stallholders, who attended the training sessions, support this initiative and they also received high quality organic fertiliser – a win-win situation.
Although the MBKS Green Centre is a hive of bacterial activities, there is no smell as the organic waste is quickly turned into high quality fertiliser.
“It takes 24 to 48 hours to complete the composting cycle. The mixture has already stabilised for one month, resulting in a tremendous reduction of waste,” Kho explained.
He added that the high quality organic fertiliser is used to maintain the plants and gardens around the city, but the public can also purchase it.

Kho shows the organic compost produced by the centre.

Home composting
Homeowners and flat or condominium dwellers can make composting a way of life too.
Kho has introduced the super simple, smell-free Takakura Home Composting System.
I myself compost kitchen and garden waste, but have had some problems with texture, odour and insect invasions.
This is probably because I just dump the stuff and let nature do the work.
So I am going to try the Takakura Home Composting System, an innovative method, which enables householders while reducing the amount of rubbish produced, to make high quality fertiliser for home use.
The four-step process is described in great detail in brochures available as hard copies or soft copies from their website. Fariz, a composting technician at the MBKS Green Centre, demonstrated the steps.
The first is to make separate sugar and salt solutions which, after ageing for three to five days, are used to make the seed compost – equal parts of rice bran and rice husk.
This mixture matures in around seven days and then you are ready to compost the organic matter you produce in your home.
Amelie Ningkang, who is enthusiastic about the Takakura Home Composting System, said, “A great initiative which if applied individually has the potential of a positive impact on the environment. I’m very keen to try this at home and contribute my part.”
Most of us know that global warming is a result of human economic activities. Composting may seem insignificant but it is not.
By composting at home, we reduce the waste and carbon produced. We are can green up our gardens. So we become part of the solution.
For information, go to www.mbks.sarawak.my.

Fariz demonstrates the four-step process of Takakura Home Composting System.

 The Link : http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/01/28/recycling-natures-way-through-composting/

Reported : Mary Margaret

The Borneo Post Copy Right Reserved.

Sultan of Brunei yes to Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah seamless travel

MIRI: Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has made travelling through Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah smoother by putting up the request to the Sultan of Brunei.
The present system whereby passports are stamped 14 times at the CIQs of Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah respectively will be a thing of the past when  Malaysia and Brunei introduce digital scanning at their respective Immigration checkpoints.
On Nov 1, the chief minister at the earth-breaking and launching of second Limbang Bridge project at Pabahanan in the Ranggau Valley Development area said he would like to see travellers to and from Brunei enter both countries without too much hassle.

Three sovereign states form Malaysia — Penguang

Datu Dr Penguang Manggil

MIRI: Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA 63) and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) report documents set up the terms and conditions in which three sovereign states have agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia.
The three sovereign states have agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia with an understanding that there are guarantees in the Federal Constitution to protect their respective rights and privileges. Singapore, which also signed, later left the federation.
Assistant Minister of Local Government and Marudi assemblyman Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil said he had participated in the debate on MA 63 in the last DUN sitting and had the opportunity to examine some of the relevant documents including MA63 and the IGC report.

Embrace your heritage, young Kedayans told

The Kedayans from Brunei and Miri gather for a group photo.

MIRI: The young Kedayans of today must uphold their tradition such as the rituals in ‘Makan Tahun’ (annual grand feast) in that it marks their identity as one of many ethnic groups in Borneo.
In this regard, local Kedayan leader Penghulu Salim Ibrahim discloses that many young Kedayans do not even know what a ‘junjung’ looks like.
A ‘junjung’ is a traditional Kedayan farm hut, usually built at paddy fields or along the coastline near their villages.

This ‘junjung’ by the group from
Kampung Pintasan in Tiris
is elaborately decorated.

Even today, the majority of the Kedayans here and in Bekenu, Sibuti are farmers and fishermen.
“We must continue to preserve our customs and culture of the Kedayans, who are scattered across Borneo – there are even some who are living in Peninsular Malaysia.

Much to be done to keep Tusan beach clean

Beach cleaning conducted by Rotary Club of Miri Oil Town recently.

View of Tusan Beach.

MIRI: Tusan beach may have been identified as the latest place of interest in Miri, thanks to the ‘Blue Tears’ that had helped Tusan to gain popularity through social media.
However, visitors to the beach strongly feel that more should be done to make the beach attractive. A local, who wanted to be identified as Wilson, recently told The Borneo Post that his foreign friends whom he brought to Tusan beach were unhappy with the filthy condition of the tourist spot.
“They told me they were very upset that instead of a beautiful beach which they expected, they were greeted by rubbish scattered everywhere along the beach,” he said.

City apiculture — a thriving hobby-business

Cikgu Michael Sabang opens
a hive to show the honey pots
(left) inside.

MIRIAN Aki Bujang remembers when he was still young, his grandparents could easily spot a kelulut (stingless bee) hive on the way to their padi field.

He would happily shout: “That’s the sweets for the little ones! Soon, we would be extracting honey from the tree trunk. Yes, those were the good old jungle days.”

Aki told thesundaypost many stories about ulu life — how they looked for honey by watching the tapang trees and how they waited for the kelulut (stingless) bees or meliponines to come home.

Invention of sandfly repellent earns SMK Lutong spot in Petronas’ AAY 2017 grand finale

Chloe (front, centre) and her team show the processes involved in making their organic sandfly repellent during the state-level AAY 2017 round in Miri.

KUCHING: Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, as demonstrated by 16-year-old Chloe Yeo Lok Yee and her SMK Lutong team.
The Form 4 student, whose school is just a stone’s throw from the sandfly-infested Lutong beach in Miri, is allergic to the insect’s bite.
It is because of this that she has been avoiding the beach.
“I get skin inflammation every time I get bitten. The repellents available in the market are not effective.”

Student inventions AIR-MACS, Aelius have potential to be commercialised

Rakin (second row centre), flanked by Ekni (on his right) and Mohd Dzul, together with Hasimah (right) and Salmah (left) gesture during the presentation of AIR-MACS.

MIRI: Two projects undertaken by students under Petronas All About Youth (AAY) programme this year would provide cheaper and eco-friendly alternatives to air conditioners and powerbanks if they could be refined and patented.
AIR-MACS, an alternative to air conditioner was invented by 20 students from SM Sains Miri while Aelius, an alternative to powerbank is a project of 20 students from Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang.

Blue Tears – a concern to nature watchers

MANY Mirians and tourists to the Resort City, especially photographers, were bedazzled by the discovery of ‘Blue Tears’ — a sparkling bioluminescent — at Tusan Beach, some 40km from Miri, a couple of years ago.
Since then, the beach has gained a reputation as one of the must-visit tourist spots in Miri.
Visitors flock to Tusan Beach every day. They come with their best photography equipment — even on the darkest night — just to catch a glimpse of the sparkling blue lights from the sea. The beauty of Blue Tears, as many have described it, is rather magical.

Business signboard not advertisement of service — Dr Sim

Dr Sim (seated, fourth left) and members of associations and representatives of local councils in a photo-call after the meeting.

KUCHING: Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian does not agree with the argument that a business name signboard is an advertisement of service.
Contemplating an amendment to by-laws that are apparently peculiar, Dr Sim said the local council by-laws should be ‘people-friendly’.
Short of saying the law on business name signboards requiring an advertisement licence is absurd, Dr Sim said the law would be amended to provide clarity when the time comes.