What is Food Waste Management?

Food Waste Management is the organised process of handling and reducing edible food that is thrown away. This is critical because food rotting in landfills releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Food waste that is improperly managed creates an odour nuisance and vermin infestation. It also contaminates other recyclables (if thrown into the blue bins), reducing their recycling value.

Did You Know?

Our food waste accounted for 784,000 tons or 12% of total Singapore waste in 2024. This could feed 167 families of four for a year, based on an average monthly expenditure of $1,200 on groceries and meals (NUS Economics Society). Talk about waste not, want not!

What is Food Waste Valorisation

Food waste valorisation is the conversion of food waste or by-products into higher-value products that are returned to the food supply chain.

To make the best use of food waste, it must be kept separate from other trash that could spoil the process. Sorting food waste at the source (like in the kitchen) is far more effective than separating it after it’s been mixed with general garbage.

Our staff and chefs recently visited waste treatment facilities at Changi Airport and Downtown East. There, a vendor demonstrated a system that rapidly breaks down food waste at the cellular level in just hours, leaving behind a small amount of odour-free, nutrient-rich soil—which is then refined into high-quality fish food.”

The process is complete when the fish, fed with this refined food, produce waste containing nitrates that act as essential nutrients for growing vegetables.

Photo by Hydroponic Xpress and Aquaponics WA

Our Initiatives for a Sustainable Club

Demonstrating our commitment to circularity, we are actively conducting vegetable sourcing trials (e.g., milk cabbage) and evaluating valorisation methods to convert our food waste into higher-value products.

We are also evaluating the merits of valorisation and other dewatering solutions to reduce the water content of the food waste removed from our premises.

The Club also launched the “Bring Your Own Container” initiative in August this year. Man Zhu diners just need to bring their own reusable container and spend a minimum of $15 to receive a complimentary dessert of the day!

We Want to Hear from You!

Your thoughts and suggestions are invaluable as we continue our sustainability journey. We believe that by working together, we can make the greatest impact. If you have any questions, ideas, or feedback on our initiatives, we want to hear from you. Your input will help us make more informed decisions and build a greener future for our Club.