Material Flow Analysis for a Sustainable Waste Management System in a Hypermarket

Integrated waste management can bring about huge economic gains. This is applicable in dealing with municipal solid waste, or in any other sector including the commercial sector. Reluctance to invest in the analysis to understand the flow of quantifiable items within the system is the main challenge among the stakeholders, especially from the small and medium enterprises. Failure to comprehend the existence and management of the components within their system boundaries will result in significant economic loss, particularly in the form of waste. Thus, this paper is aimed to study the input and output of materials in a commercial sector, namely a hypermarket, to develop a material flow chart using Substance Flow Analysis software (STAN) and to postulate possible waste reduction via 3R practices. Total consumption at the study premise was then analysed through material flow system analysis, namely via the use of STAN and Microsoft Excel, to produce the material flow balance. The electricity consumption was 3,060 kWh/d while water consumption was 20 m3 and material input averaged at 650 kg per day. The output for energy loss was 3,060 kWh, water discharged was 19 m3, recyclable wastes were 224 kg/day and non-recyclable wastes were 96 kg/day. The premise wasted approximately 2% electricity, 5% water and 43% recyclable materials. Thus, proposed actions by adopting sustainable use of resources and 3R were listed to determine the economic benefits. The study indicated that with appropriate data collection on the input and output of materials one could initiate sustainable practices in resource utilization. Material flow results can be very useful to postulate possible waste reduction via 3R practices. Significant cost reduction can be obtained with the implementation of appropriate sustainable resource usage strategies and 3R practices. Therefore, it is crucially important that the management takes a proactive action to promote sustainable housekeeping practices in the commercial areas.