Market’s Antidote: Designing Food Waste to be integrated as byproduct for Market

Food wastage has become a raising concern in cities exacerbated by the convenience of food accessibility, which amplifies wasteful habits among urban dwellers. Kuala Lumpur being the most urbanised city in Malaysia, with staggering 9,600 tons of food waste being disposed of daily. One particular significant food waste generator is the wet market, contributes a substantial 27% of the city’s total food waste. Despite representing a major waste stream, food waste treatment remains minimal, with only 5% recycling rate compared to other waste categories. The current food waste management follows a linear cycle, which solely removes this large amount of waste from the city to landfill. To addresses the pressing issue of food wastage in urban wet market, the thesis Market’s Antidote proposes a resilient solution by designing food waste to be integrated as a byproduct for market. A specific investigation is underway in Pasar Chow Kit, one of the largest wet markets in Kuala Lumpur. Chow Kit is a mature commercial area with numerous of F&B premise, hotel cafeterias, school canteens and a hospital, all disposing significant amounts of food waste. The market itself consists 445 merchant stalls, generating an average of 400kg of food waste daily. However, unsystematic waste management and poor planning have led to irresponsible hygienic practices, resulting in the market deteriorating into an unpleasant environment.