EFFICIENT JAPANESE COMPOSTING METHOD COMING TO MALAYSIA

SIBU (Malaysia), Dec 2 (Bernama) -- A new and more efficient method of
composting pioneered in 2004 by Koji Takakura, a japanese environmentalist, is
now making its way into the country.

A three-day seminar on the Takakura's Method of Composting will begin in
this town in East Malaysia state of Sarawak Thursday before making its way to
the federal capital on Dec 7 and 8.

Takakura and two officials from the Kitakyushu city and others from the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will conduct the course here for
officers of 26 local authorities in the state.

The Sibu Municipal Council(SMC) is co-hosting the seminar with Jica, JPEC Co
Ltd,(a Japanese company) and Kitakyushu City as it is the only Malaysian member
of the Kitakyushu City Initiative Netwok under its Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies(IGES).

Takakura, 50, told reporters Wednesday that his method was ideal for
tropical countries and to date had been introduced in Indonesia, Thailand, the
Philippines and Nepal.

"This method does not require the use of foreign enzymes and instead local
materials such as fermented food, fruit and vegetable peels, rice bran and husk
can be used.

"It only needs a shredder to cut the materials into smaller pieces to speed
up the fermentation process," he said.

He said it was also a cheap and rapid technique and could produce compost
within a week or two.

One tonne of organic waste could be processed in a 100sq metre area to
produce 200-250kg of compost products each day or six to seven tonnes per month,
he said, adding that it could be easily done at the household level.

Earlier, Takakura and his entourage called on SMC chairman Tiong Hiew King
at his office.
-- BERNAMA