On Thursday, July 18, 2024, PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia collaborated with the Environmental Engineering and Industrial Engineering Programs, Faculty of Engineering, President University (Presuniv), to host the Wanajaya Waste Recycling Center (WRC) event in Wanajaya Village, Cibitung, Bekasi. Present at the event, which included an eco-bazaar, talk show, and workshop, was the Head of the Environmental Engineering Program, Yosef Barita Sar Manik, ST, M.Sc., Ph.D.
The workshop and talk show were conducted directly by students from the Environmental Engineering and Industrial Engineering programs. They presented materials on effectively and environmentally friendly household waste management, especially used cooking oil. To address this issue, several solutions were proposed:
- Recycling into Biodiesel: Used cooking oil can be recycled into biodiesel, which can be used as an alternative fuel.
- Soap Making: Used cooking oil can be used as a raw material for making soap, reducing waste and creating economically valuable products.
- Biogas: Used cooking oil can be processed into biogas as a renewable energy source.
- Organic Fertilizer: Used cooking oil can be used in the process of making organic fertilizer.
- Used Cooking Oil Bank: This system collects used cooking oil from the community for recycling.
In addition to managing used cooking oil, the workshop also discussed recycling household plastic waste into eco-friendly shopping bags. This process involves collecting, sorting, and processing plastic waste into reusable materials. This practice helps reduce plastic pollution, raises awareness of the importance of recycling, and promotes responsible reuse of natural resources.
Yosef stated, “This event aims to reduce the impact of climate change at the local level by involving active community participation to identify, plan, and implement mitigation strategies.” One such strategy, he continued, is processing organic waste into compost. “This process not only reduces waste ending up in landfills but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills,” he said. By involving the community in separating and processing waste into compost, Yosef explained, the program not only supports environmental sustainability and soil quality but also strengthens awareness of the importance of local climate change mitigation. (Damar Satriawan, PR team. Photo: Damar Satriawan).