Abstract

Bang Lamung School in Thailand is a large secondary school with a total of 2,534 people that daily dine at the school’s canteen. The amount of food waste is about 180 liters per day, or 900 liters per week, which creates problems for the school in terms of unpleasant scenery and smell. In addition, the school’s mission is to be a “Lab School Project or “One District, One School of Dreams.” Therefore, the school should be hygienic in terms of its waste management. This paper presents a food waste management analysis based on the concept of facility management (FM): people, place, and process. The paper has 3 objectives: (1) to study the existing problems of food waste in the school; (2) to compare the 3 methods of food waste management (composting, microorganisms, and biogas); and (3) to propose guidelines for the food waste management in the school. In this study, the qualitative research method was used. Qualitative data sources include observation and interviews with related peoples—teachers, students, and the canteen traders. In addition, reviewing literature was also conduct for comparing the patterns of food waste management that result in guidelines for the food waste management. The results revealed that composting was the most appropriate way to solve the problems for Bang Lamung School because the process is basic and can generate maximum revenue. Moreover, the rear area of building number 8 is suggested for carrying out the composting process. This paper will benefit the school director in terms of managing the food waste in a proper way and increasing awareness of food waste for the students and other related people.

Keywords: food waste management, facility management, school canteen,composting

Introduction 

The Food waste is a global concern. Based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it is estimated that approximately 1/3 of food produced each year is leftovers, and this has a huge negative impact in terms of the economy, society, and environmental problems for countries. The food that is not consumed becomes leftovers and this represents exploited resources. The over-produced food using large amounts of resources in one area creates scarcity for other areas. It is statistically true that many people in the world are facing a food shortage situation. Moreover, the waste contaminating the environment causes various kinds of disease. In addition, food disposal causes methane to destroy the atmosphere and is a cause of global warming. Again, based on data from FAO, it is estimated that the carbon dioxide produced from food waste in the world is equivalent to 3,300 million tons per year. In Thailand there are more than 26.77 million tons of garbage, of which 64% is food waste. For Bangkok, around 50% of the total garbage of 9,000 tons per day is food waste.

Bang Lamung School in Thailand, a goverment school under the authorization of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), is located in Na Kluea, Bang La Mung, Chon Buri Province. There are approximately 2,534 students, teachers, and staff members at the school, and the school’s canteen has 11 shops. At present, the school’s canteen manages food waste by hiring outsourcers to scrape out the food at the cost of 20 baht per day (400 baht per month). Due to the fact that the school has entered the “Lab School Project,” or “One District, One School of Dreams,” as it is sometimes called, it is highly desirable for it to be a school that can efficiently handle such problems.

This paper presents a discussion of food waste management based on the concept of facility management (FM). At present, the school manages the food waste by hiring outsourced organizations to collect the waste daily at the expense of 20 baht per day (Monday - Friday), equal to 400 baht per month. The paper will benefit the school director in terms of managing food waste in a proper way and increasing awareness of food waste on the part of students and other related people.