The Postgraduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) visited the Faculty of Engineering (FE) of UGM to learn best practices in waste management. On Friday morning (31/05/2024), a group of 25 education staff from UGM’s Postgraduate School was welcomed by Doni Agus Wijayanto, M.M., Chief of the Administrative Office of UGM’s Faculty of Engineering, to learn about the waste processing process at the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Waste Processing Site (TPS3R) located on the southern ring road of UGM’s Faculty of Engineering.
The delegation from UGM’s Postgraduate School in the waste management knowledge-sharing activity was led by Susanto, S.T., M.Sc., Coordinator of Financial and General Administrative Affairs. Susanto emphasized on learning directly at TPS3R, UGM’s Postgraduate School could adopt the waste processing process used at UGM’s Faculty of Engineering. The current challenge faced by UGM’s Postgraduate School is the lack of personnel/staff specifically assigned to waste management. After learning directly at TPS3R, UGM’s Postgraduate School plans to establish a special team to manage waste with similar scheme of UGM’s Faculty of Engineering.
“Waste management at UGM’s Postgraduate School is still not optimal. Leaf waste is still not fully sorted using sieving machines. UGM’s Faculty of Engineering should be considered as an example in creating a good waste management scheme,” said Susanto.
Nawawi, M.M., Coordinator of Assets and Maintenance at UGM’s Faculty of Engineering, shared knowledge regarding waste management at TPS3R. Nawawi explained the important aspect in waste management is regarding residue waste. Residue waste is mixed waste that cannot be recycled. The amount of residue waste at the Faculty of Engineering is significant, and every month the cost incurred for disposing of residue waste reaches Rp 500,000. Each department at UGM’s Faculty of Engineering is required to pay for the disposal of residue waste according to the volume of waste generated each month.
“UGM’s Faculty of Engineering has implemented specific policies to reduce the amount of residue waste generated. At UGM’s Faculty of Engineering, the use of cardboard for meeting consumption is no longer allowed, and even the cafeteria is not allowed to use plastic because both contribute to residue waste. Another policy under consideration is to prohibit GoFood orders within the UGM’s Faculty of Engineering area because it adds to waste,” said Nawawi.
Leftover food waste is used by TPS3R as fish feed, and leaf waste is used as natural fertilizer. Proper waste management can reduce air pollution, thereby minimizing global warming. It requires awareness from all parties to help choose and sort waste to achieve a healthy and energy-efficient environment.
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum
Image: Dwi Purwanto