Background of the Study

An estimated 13 billion tons of food and produce is wasted every year globally. This has
contributed to almost 9 million starving to death annually and has played a key role in climate
change when decomposing, releasing methane gas which helps trap heat in the atmosphere. Both
waste segregation and governmental intervention have helped in regulating the problem. Waste
Segregation is an effective method in theory, but in practice, it relies heavily on the compliance
of the community which often leads to less than ideal outcomes. Government intervention carries
with it a more reliable outcome, ranging from incentives to following segregation laws, reducing
the amount of food wasted, and fining those who fail to comply. The problem with relying on
Government Intervention is it is a slow process, and this is without taking into consideration that
the topic of food waste management is not a topic often brought into focus, further preventing
immediate action and limiting long term results. So, many methods already exist to combat the
growing problem of food waste, but a more immediate, and easily accessible method in food
waste management has yet to become widespread.

Objectives of the Study

I. Main Objective
The Main Objective of this Project is to provide a more reliable and efficient method of
combating the growing problem of food wastes than previously existing methods by using
moisture extracted from food wastes as an effective fertilizer for the growth of home grown
plants. This method of disposal will be judged through how much food waste is produced over a
period of time and the viability of the resulting product in acting as a fertilizer to common
species of house plants.

II. Specific Objectives

- Determine how effective this method is in reducing overall food waste produced through
weighing the consumed amount in said method to produce the desired product, and recording
sum total on a weekly basis throughout the length of this study.
- Determining the efficiency of the process the researchers will be using throughout the study by
weighing the product and comparing it to the original weight of the food waste pre-processing.
- Observe the effect of the product on the growth of certain species of house plant through the
measurement of the plants dimensions.
Statement of the Problem and Hypotheses

1. Does the use of the moisture extracted from the food waste significantly decrease the amount

of food waste produced?

H : There is no significant decrease in the amount of food wastes produced and goes unused.
o

H : There is a significant decrease in the amount of food wastes produced and goes unused.
a

2. Is the amount of food waste used (measured in g) significantly reduced due to its moisture

being extracted and used as fertilizer for commonly grown house plants?

H : The amount of food waste used as fertilizer for commonly grown house plants does not
o

significantly reduce the relative original amount produced.

H : The amount of food waste used as fertilizer for commonly grown house plants does
a

significantly reduce the relative original amount produced.

3. Does the process used to extract the moisture from the Food Waste produce the needed

amount for each treatment level and sample?

H : The process is not capable of consistently providing the needed moisture for each treatment
o

level and sample.

H : The process is capable of consistently providing the needed moisture for each treatment level
a

and sample.
4. Does the use of the moisture extracted from food wastes serve as an effective fertilizer for the

growth of differing types of commonly grown house plants?

H : The use of moisture extracted from the food wastes as fertilizer has no effect on the growth of
o

any of the differing types of commonly grown house plants.

H : The use of moisture extracted from the food wastes as fertilizer has a significant effect on the
a1

growth of some of the differing types of commonly grown house plants.

H : The use of moisture extracted from the food wastes as fertilizer has a significant effect on the
a2

growth of all of the differing types of commonly grown house plants.

Significance of the Study

The study’s main objective, which is to provide a new viable method of regulating food waste
and can easily be replicated, is mainly beneficial to society as a collective if the new method
were to be implemented or utilized by the masses. The study also benefits the family unit, by
providing a cost effective and simple method of benefitting from the food wastes produced on a
daily basis, which leads to a reduction in a communities food waste output. By also providing a
low cost alternative to commercial fertilizers if proven to be effective on commonly kept house
plants, the study would be beneficial to individuals who have taken up home gardening during
the current quarantine.

Scope and Limitations

The study’s main focus is to reduce the total food waste produced by extracting the moisture

of said food waste for use as fertilizer for commonly grown house plants. The study’s aim is

focused on reducing the food waste produced by the domestic household, so research on

processing the food waste of a household can be replicated by said household. Another

objective of this study is to research the viability of food waste moisture can serve as an

effective fertilizer for commonly grown house plants. Similar studies can be done with

similar main objectives and can be conducted by future researchers, tackling the problem in a
similar yet unique method. The study can be done in such a way that it focuses on developing

a process which can produce a more commercial focused product, which can reduce food

waste produced by the food industry. A study could also be conducted on the viability of

extracted food waste moisture as a fertilizer on more crop based and commonly grown

vegetation on farms and plantations. Both stated proposed studies tackle the similar problem

of a method to reduce the increasing food waste produced globally, but will not be tackled by

this study.