DUAL-POWERED PORTABLE FOOD WASTE PROCESSOR
One of the most important issues that must be addressed globally is food waste management. The Philippines has already been facing home food waste that contributes to the overall issue. The country has launched programs like “no segregation, no collection” by various local governments to promote source segregation of organic materials like food waste to easily recycle and compost. Although there has been progress, the main issues and concerns that still exist because of food waste management are the uniform regulations that must be used and the waste management facilities or equipment that are electricity-dependent and not feasible to use where there is a scarcity of electricity. However, there is still the need for fast and sustainable onsite processing solutions that could cater specifically to areas with limited electricity. This study aims and seeks to design and develop a dual-powered portable food waste processor that has fast particle grinding, fast fluid extraction, and dual operation modes: 220V AC and battery-powered. Moreover, the battery could be recharged with either solar or AC. The research method employed was descriptive development research, in which a processor made from stainless steel, due to its durability, was designed and its functionality determined through a controlled trial of moisture content reduction (19.1-26.34%) and charging (40 minutes using AC, 60 minutes using solar, depending on sunlight intensity). Acceptability was evaluated using a researcher-made questionnaire with content validity (CVI = 0.904) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.804), administered to 25 experts from local government waste management units, the agriculture sector, and the Department of Education. Data analysis utilized mean and standard deviation, revealing very high acceptability scores (overall means ranging from 4.27 to 4.59). Additionally, an operating manual was created. Data showed that this machine has minimized stinky odor and the onsite processing of food waste converts kitchen and organic trash into useful materials for fertilizer.
