From 7 to 9 August 2023, the Faculty of Dentistry at UGM conducted a training session on inorganic waste management. This event was a collaboration between FKG UGM, the Faculty of Biology UGM, and the Sonjo Community. The waste management training was attended by 60 participants from hospitals, health centers, clinics, and Islamic boarding schools in the Yogyakarta Special Region.
In his speech, Dean of FKG UGM, Drg. Suryono emphasized that waste can be a blessing. "Firstly, our environment becomes clean, and secondly, waste that has undergone sorting processes can be sold, generating income," he said.
Each room in FKG UGM has waste bins categorized for paper, plastic, and organic waste. Sorted waste is collected by Rapel (People Care for the Environment- Rakyat Peduli Lingkungan) staff. The monthly income generated from waste at FKG UGM ranges between IDR 1,500,000 and IDR 2,000,000.
Rimawan Pradiptyo, Founder of the Sonjo Community and lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business UGM, stated that the training aimed to enable communities to manage their household waste effectively. Additionally, the training was a response to the closure of the Piyungan Regional Landfill.
Participants also received training on processing organic waste into compost and liquid fertilizer using maggots and earthworms. The hands-on training was led by the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Prof. Budi S. Daryono, and his team.
Household waste typically consists of 50% organic waste, 25% inorganic waste, and 25% residual waste, such as styrofoam, diapers, cigarette butts, and similar items.
Let us cultivate the habit of maintaining our environment by sorting waste according to its type.
