BANTUL - Starting from the attitude of residents who are still often littering on the banks of the river and burning itgarbage, UPN "Veteran" Yogyakarta (UPNVY) established a partnership with the citizens in Dusun Gesikan, Panggungharjo, Sewon, Bantul. The Community Partnership Program (PKM) is in the context of fostering citizens in their waste management efforts.

Since last September, UPNVY through the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) has become the motor for the establishment of a "Kompaster Gestari" waste bank and a community that cares about waste. The UPNVY delegation was represented by two lecturers namely Ika Wahyuning Widiarti, S.Sc., M.Eng and Eni Muryani, S.Sc., M.Sc from the Environmental Engineering Study Program.

"This anxiety led to an initiative thinking to conduct an integrated waste management in order to prevent the waste from ending up to the Final Processing Site (TPA). The integrated waste management can also change the final fate of the waste so that it no longer becomes dust and an air, river and sea pollution”, said Eni Muryani, a lecturer and also one of the residents.

This program, said Eni, aims to change the people's paradigm of waste. The waste can be a blessing and has both a use value and selling value.

The Gestari Garbage Bank which was officially established on September 15, 2019, focuses on the waste management education, training and practice on the waste utilization, etc. The  community-based integrated waste management community was established in RT 04 Panggungharjo through a series of stages, namely giving a socialization on the waste management, inviting residents to visit the environmental tourism village in Sukunan, Gamping, Sleman, visiting the Gemah Ripah Garbage Bank in Badekan, Bantul, providing education and waste sorting facilities.

"We also teach how to make compost from the organic waste, make various creations to recycle plastic waste, provide a training in making candles from the used cooking oil, gather cadres, and manage the community of waste management", he said.

The initial launch of Kompaster Gestari successfully invited 26 residents to be its members. People who join this community will gradually be led to do 6 M and TM, namely reducing the waste, utilizing waste, recycling, sorting out trash, saving garbage, minimizing residual waste entering the landfill, not throwing garbage into the river, and not burning rubbish.

A series of activities have been carried out, namely the introduction of the Trash Bank at the Panggungharjo Village Administration Competition, a demonstration of making candles from used cooking oil, etc.