THE Penang Government will promote the use of garbage enzyme, a method that could improve the environment.Local Government, Traffic Management and Environment Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said they would facilitate the non-governmental organisations’ education campaigns to create awareness on its usage.

“Garbage enzyme production helps to reduce waste in landfills. Organic waste will decompose and release methane gas into the atmosphere.

“If garbage enzyme production is adopted in a wide scale, it can have a big impact to our environment and climate as well as assisting the local authorities to cut down on waste management cost,” he said after launching the two-day Health and Eco-Friendly Fair organised by the Penang Sudarshan Kriya Organisation recently at the Komtar Geodesic Dome.

Garbage enzyme or eco-enzyme is made from three-week old fermentation of leftover vegetables and fruit wastes that is poured into a container of water mixed with brown sugar, in a 3:10:1 ratio.

The material is left alone for the enzyme to form and is ready for use in three months.

The enzyme can also be used for farming and gardening, or added into shampoos, dish wash and laundry detergents.

Chow said the state government would also help the NGOs to encourage the public to start producing and using the enzyme at home.

“Eco-enzyme is already used in over 100 countries. It is already used in sectors like agriculture and in animal husbandry,” he said.

Chow also said the state government had recently adopted Effective Microorganism (EM) technology as a means to clean water.

“Last week, EM mud balls were put into Sungai Kelian in Tanjung Bungah and after six days, we saw an improvement in the river water’s quality.

“We hope we can teach the public to produce the material at home. Currently the council is producing them at a few ringgit per litre,” he said.

Source: The Star, Monday December 29, 2008
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/12/29/north/2903442&sec=north