Food Waste Generation and Economic Implications during Ramadan in Student Rented Houses: A Pilot Study

M.S.M Ghazali; M. Mupit; M.E. Azni; Zaihar Yaacob; K.N. Ibrahim; Mohamad Zulkeflee Sabri; Mohd Nizam b Zahari; A.A Hamzah

doi:10.53697/emak.v6i4.2960

Authors

M.S.M Ghazali Universiti Kuala Lumpur
M. Mupit Universiti Kuala Lumpur
M.E. Azni Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Zaihar Yaacob Universiti Kuala Lumpur
K.N. Ibrahim Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Mohamad Zulkeflee Sabri Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Mohd Nizam b Zahari Universiti Kuala Lumpur
A.A Hamzah Universiti Kuala Lumpur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53697/emak.v6i4.2960

Keywords:

Food waste, Ramadan, University Students

Abstract

Food waste during Ramadan is a growing concern in Malaysia, with limited research on university students in rented accommodations. This pilot study examined their food waste generation using a mixed-methods approach: daily quantitative measurements and qualitative interviews on food practices. Findings showed students produced 0.25 kg/person/day, lower than urban households, yet about 40% of food prepared or purchased was discarded, with some households food waste discarded reaching up to 65%. Waste levels varied by household size, purchasing behavior, and eating habits, influenced by the dual-meal Ramadan pattern. Minimal sustainable practices were observed, highlighting the need for awareness and behavioral interventions. Limbah makanan selama Ramadan menjadi perhatian serius di Malaysia, dengan penelitian terbatas pada mahasiswa yang tinggal di rumah sewa. Studi awal ini meneliti timbulan sampah makanan melalui pendekatan campuran: pengukuran kuantitatif harian dan wawancara kualitatif tentang praktik konsumsi. Hasil menunjukkan mahasiswa menghasilkan 0,25 kg/orang/hari, lebih rendah dibandingkan rumah tangga perkotaan, namun sekitar 40% makanan yang disiapkan atau dibeli terbuang, dengan beberapa rumah tangga sampah makanan yang dibuang mencapai hingga 65%. Tingkat pemborosan bervariasi menurut ukuran rumah tangga, perilaku belanja, dan pola makan, dipengaruhi pola dua kali makan Ramadan. Praktik berkelanjutan minimal, menegaskan perlunya kesadaran dan intervensi perilaku.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Azman, N. I. D. B., Zahari, M. S. M., Hanafiah, M. H., & Ferdian, F. (2024). Ramadhan street food bazaar shopping: Investigating the effect of Malaysian Muslim consumer’s visual sensory cues on purchase behaviour and satisfaction. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 15(1), 260–278. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2022-0249.

Aloysius, N., Ananda, J., Mitsis, A., & Pearson, D. (2023). Why people are bad at leftover food management? A systematic literature review and a framework to analyze household leftover food waste generation behavior. Appetite, 186(April), 106577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106577.

Bond, M., Meacham, T., Bhunnoo, R. and Benton, T. G. (2013). Food waste within global food systems. Global Food Security Programme, 1–43.

Choiriyah, F. U., Supandi, A. F., & Lutfiyah, S. N. A. (2024, September). INCOME FOR THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN. In Proceeding International Conference on Economics, Business and Information Technology (Vol. 5, pp. 369-372).

Galli, F., Cavicchi, A., & Brunori, G. (2019). Food waste reduction and food poverty alleviation: a system dynamics conceptual model. Agriculture and Human Values, 36(2), 289-300.

Ghafar, S. W. A. (2017). Food Waste in Malaysia: Trends, Current Practices and Key Challenges. FFTC Agcricultural Policy Articles, July, 1–12.

Ghazali, M. S. M., Mupit, M., Azni, M. E., & Yaacob, Z. (2025). SUSTAINABLE FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT IN UNIKL MICET: CHALLENGES IN TRANSLATING AWARENESS INTO ACTION. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Environment Management, 10(40), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.35631/jthem.1040004.

Goodwin, L., & Lipinski, B. (2024, November 25). How Much Food Does the World Really Waste? What We Know — and What We Don’t. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/how-much-food-does-the-world-waste.

Hashim, A. A., Kadir, A. A., Ibrahim, M. H., Halim, S., Sarani, N. A., Hassan, M. I. H., Hamid, N. J. A., Hashar, N. N. H., & Hissham, N. F. N. (2021). Overview on food waste management and composting practice in Malaysia. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2339(May). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0044206.

Hennchen, B. (2019). Knowing the kitchen: Applying practice theory to issues of food waste in the food service sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 675–683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.293.

International Trade Administration (2024). Malaysia Waste Management. https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/malaysia-waste-management.

Jereme, et al. (2017). Food wastes and food security: The case of Malaysia. International Journal of ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES, 4(8), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2017.08.002.

Kamaruddin, M. A., Jantira, N. N., & Alrozi, R. (2020). Food Waste Quantification and Characterization as a Measure towards Effective Food Waste Management in University. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 743(1), 0–9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/743/1/012041.

Kasavan, S., Mohamed, A. F., & Halim, S. A. (2019). Drivers of food waste generation: Case study of island-based hotels in Langkawi, Malaysia. Waste Management, 91, 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.04.055.

Kaur, P., Dhir, A., Talwar, S., & Alrasheedy, M. (2020). Systematic literature review of food waste in educational institutions: Setting the research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(4), 1160–1193. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2020-0672.

Keegan, E., & Breadsell, J. K. (2021). Food waste and social practices in australian households. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063377.

Mganga, P., Syafrudin, S., & Amirudin, A. (2021). A Survey of Students’ Awareness on Food Waste Problems and Their Behaviour Towards Food Wastage: A Case Study of Diponegoro University (UNDIP), Indonesia. E3S Web of Conferences, 317, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202131701071.

Nordin, N. H., Kaida, N., Othman, N. A., Akhir, F. N. M., & Hara, H. (2020). Reducing Food Waste: Strategies for Household Waste Management to Minimize the Impact of Climate Change and Contribute to Malaysia’s Sustainable Development. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 479(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/479/1/012035.

Pandey, A. (2021). Food Wastage: Causes, Impacts and Solutions. Science Heritage Journal, 5(1), 17–20. https://doi.org/10.26480/gws.01.2021.17.20.

Pirani, S. I., & Arafat, H. A. (2015). Reduction of food waste generation in the hospitality industry. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.146

Ridwan, M., & Andriyanto, I. (2019). Sikap Boros: Dari Normatif Teks ke Praktik Keluarga Muslim. Al-Amwal: Jurnal Ekonomi Dan Perbankan Syari’ah, 11(2), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.24235/amwal.v11i2.4927.

Syazwan, M., Ghazali, M., & Syed-Hassan, S.S.A. (2024). CHARACTERIZATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENTS : ASSESSING HEAVY METAL ENRICHMENT, THERMAL DECOMPOSITION, AND PYROLYSIS BEHAVIOR. 11(2), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.24191/myse.v12i1.1383.

T’ing, L. C., Moorthy, K., Gunasaygaran, N., Li, C. S., Omapathi, D., Yi, H. J., Anandan, K., & Sivakumar, K. (2021). Intention to reduce food waste: A study among Malaysians. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 71(7), 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2021.1900001.

Tumiran, M. A. (2022). Selected Proceedings from the 1st International Conference on Contemporary Islamic Studies (ICIS 2021). Selected Proceedings from the 1st International Conference on Contemporary Islamic Studies (ICIS 2021), November. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2390-6.

Zainal, D., & Hassan, K. A. (2019). Factors Influencing Household Food Waste Behaviour in Malaysia. International Journal of Research in Business, Economics and Management, 3(3), 56–71.