Students can contribute to their country and society besides filling their schedules with lectures, dorms, or extracurricular activities to channel their interests and talents. One such way to contribute is by initiating a community, such as the Lokalogi UGM community, which focuses on sorting and managing waste on campus.
Their goal is to contribute to solving waste problems both on campus and in the Yogyakarta region.
Yudhistira Wiranusa Sumantri, a student in UGM’s Civil Engineering Program at Vocational College (SV UGM) and the Chair of Lokalogi UGM, shared the journey and vision of this community.
He mentioned that Lokalogi was born from the UGM’s Scout members’ concern about Yogyakarta’s pressing waste issues, later inspiring them to begin waste management through UGM’s Scout activities.
After careful planning, Lokalogi was established in 2023 and began its operations focusing on waste management during Scout events.
“The formation of Lokalogi was driven by the necessity for tangible action against the escalating waste problems,” he said on Thursday, Sep. 5, 2024.
After a year, Lokalogi was officially launched during World Environment Day on Jun. 5, 2024, in an event at Balairung UGM.
Various parties attended the launch, including UGM’s Directorate of Student Affairs, UGM Residence, student organizations, and other environmental community groups. Sumantri also noted that Lokalogi received substantial support from the university.
In July, Lokalogi began sharing its knowledge through the Event Waste Management (EWM) program, which is designed to assist organizers and participants in sorting and managing waste during events.
“Before events, we usually conduct training sessions to help people understand how to sort waste correctly,” he said.
Lokalogi also carried out several important activities since its launch. One of their main activities this year has been waste management at major UGM events.
“We were involved in two major UGM events this year, Pionir and Gelex. For Pionir, we managed waste with around 93 volunteers, and 144 for Gelex,” Sumantri explained.
In managing waste at Gelex, Lokalogi implemented a concept called “reduce waste to landfill,” which significantly reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. Lokalogi maintains waste sorting points and educates around 10,000 visitors daily.
The most dominant waste generated consists of plastic food and drink containers, followed by paper waste, both of which are categorized as inorganic waste.
Lokalogi classifies waste into three categories: organic, inorganic, and residual. Organic waste, which includes food scraps and other biological materials, is used as feed for living creatures or processed into compost.
Inorganic waste, which consists of plastics, paper, and metals, is handed over to recycling partners like Daur.id, Torsi, and Duitin. Residual waste, which cannot be recycled, is collected and managed by third parties such as PIAT.
Sumantri also noted that Lokalogi’s biggest challenge is raising awareness among students and the public about the importance of waste sorting.
“We still encounter many students who are apathetic to waste management, especially those organizing large events at UGM. Some still leave waste irresponsibly after events, and the organizing committees often lack proper waste management regulations. This is both a challenge and a motivation for us,” he said.
To address these challenges, Lokalogi plans various educational and training initiatives. They intend to conduct more training programs and hold focus group discussions.
“Our goal is to share knowledge with students and the community about the importance of waste management and to increase their participation,” Sumantri said.
The educational program aims to spread information on properly sorting waste and the environmental impact of good waste management. Through this approach, Lokalogi hopes to enhance awareness and active participation from all community members.
Sumantri and the Lokalogi team have high hopes for this community’s future. They want Lokalogi to be a model and pioneer in waste management.
“We hope that in the future, every event at UGM will consider waste management as an integral part of event planning,” he added.
The community is determined to continue innovating and improving its waste management practices while influencing positive change around them.
With support from various parties and growing awareness, Lokalogi is expected to achieve its goals and significantly impact the environment at UGM and Yogyakarta.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang