From waste to something valuable, that is what Universitas Indonesia and the community in the Rawa Badak area, South Jakarta, hope for. The cooperation carried out by both parties is to overcome the problem of organic waste. On an Indonesian scale, organic waste contributes 41.27 percent of the 68.7 million tons of waste produced every year. Approximately 38.28 percent of organic waste comes from households. One effort to reduce organic waste is by recycling it into Liquid Organic Fertilizer (LOF). However, LOF often causes an unpleasant odor and is not suitable for use on all types of plants.
Members of the Jambu Muda Waste Bank, Kampung Rawa Badak, Cipedak Village, Jagakarsa District, South Jakarta also felt these obstacles. In order to answer this problem, the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) Universitas Indonesia (UI) along with Jambu Muda implemented a Community Service (Pengmas) program in the form of assistance in recycling household organic waste into natural plant fertilizer for members of the waste bank community.
The UI service team carried out a series of stages to create the best LOF formulation. Head of the service team, Aminah M.Sc. Ph.D., said, “We took samples of the LOF products produced by the Jambu Muda Waste Bank and then analyzed their macro and micro nutrient content. Determining the levels of these nutrient elements has a big influence on the quality of the organic liquid fertilizer produced.”
Analysis of LOF samples was carried out to obtain precise measurement results on the levels of LOF macro nutrients, namely nitrogen, organic carbon and phosphorus. Micro nutrients are also analyzed, including potassium, magnesium, ferrous/iron, manganese and molybdenum. In this way, POC can be created with the right levels for it to be effective for application in service areas.
The results of the analysis were then disseminated to participants in the Department of Chemistry, FMIPA, UI Campus, Depok. Furthermore, education was also held about waste and how to process it. Counseling was given by FMIPA UI teachers who are members of the service team, namely Rika Tri Yuniarti, M.Eng. Ph.D., and Dr. Antonius Herry Cahyana. This socialization activity is in collaboration with the extension team from the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service.
Head of the Chemistry Department, FMIPA UI, Dr. Asep Saefumillah, S.Si., M.Si. officially opened the socialization activity. He said, “Educational institutions must be a solution to society’s problems. This is what the Department of Chemistry is currently doing through FMIPA UI Community Service activities in 2023. This activity of assisting the organic waste recycling process is an effort by the Department of Chemistry to support sustainable local agricultural activities.”
After the socialization activities, the service team carried out a demonstration on applying the trial results of the Jambu Muda Waste Bank LOF at the Parangtopo Laboratory, FMIPA UI, UI Campus, Depok. The service team carried out various LOF dilutions using water in various ratios. POC with various dilutions is sprinkled on chili and tomato seeds for 15 days.
From the observations, it can be concluded that dilution with a ratio of 1:50 between liquid fertilizer and water produces the most optimal growth.
Meanwhile, to eliminate unpleasant odors from LOF products, the UI service team created a new method as a result of experiments, namely replacing the bioactivator and modifying the composter tank used previously.
This method has been socialized to members of the Jambu Muda Waste Bank. Participants were also provided with a module pamphlet for them to study it again at a later date. Community service program participants also had the opportunity to watch demonstrations of processing fertilizer into methane gas, solid fertilizer and LOF, as well as seeing experimental plants. The location for the demo activity, namely the Parangtopo FMIPA UI Laboratory, is a Waste to Energy Laboratory which functions as a pilot laboratory in the application of organic waste recycling technology.
This laboratory is a place where organic waste is processed into compost, LOF, and methane gas energy through biodigester tubes. Misan, Head of the Jambu Muda Waste Bank Mobilization Team, fully appreciates this UI community service program. “I am very happy to be invited to the UI campus and receive counseling as well as solutions to the problems of our residents. In the future, I am more confident in sharing the knowledge gained in this activity with other residents so that more people can participate,” said Misan.
At the end of the activity which took place on November 11th 2023, the service team distributed compost fertilizer, composter kits, and materials for making LOF to the participants. The UI service team hoped that this mentoring activity could be sustainable. Apart from being beneficial for local agriculture, the service team assesses that the use of liquid organic fertilizer also has a positive impact on the local ecosystem.
