Following the closure of the Piyungan landfill, waste has become a crucial issue for the community, especially in Yogyakarta (DIY). As a result, waste builds up at temporary disposal sites. To help address this problem, the Directorate of Student Affairs at UGM has developed a student social entrepreneurship (solopreneur) program to tackle waste issues in the community.
The Secretary of the Directorate of Student Affairs, Dr. Hempri Suyatna, stated that the UGM Sociopreneur program is a concrete step from Universitas Gadjah Mada to encourage students to become agents of change capable of creating innovative and creative solutions.
This program is expected to train students in business and sensitize them to social issues, particularly in addressing waste problems.
“To realize this social business and help it grow into a startup, the Directorate of Student Affairs will provide support through training, mentoring, network development, and monitoring and evaluation,” Dr. Suyatna said in his statement to reporters on Saturday (Jun. 22).
Dr. Suyatna mentioned that 49 teams registered for the UGM Sociopreneur Program selection, and nine winners were chosen to receive funding and program support. These nine selected winners will receive funding and training from competent mentors in their respective fields.
“The funding provided aims to support the implementation of the innovative projects they propose, while the mentorship includes guidance from experts and practitioners in sociopreneurship to ensure that each team can realize their vision well,” he explained.
Some of the selected projects include the Biover Center. This business offers innovation in utilizing and cultivating maggots within a “zero waste” social concept by processing organic waste into high-value dry maggots.
In the process, organic waste such as food scraps and other organic materials is efficiently processed into feed for maggots, which are then converted into high-economic-value products.
Besides cultivating and utilizing maggots, students also created affordable livestock protein supplements (MaNaX Supplement) based on maggots, which aimed to help farmers improve the health and quality of their livestock through supplementation.
Dplasticer and Lanely enterprises present innovations in waste management with creative and sustainable approaches.
Dplasticer processes plastic waste using the latest methods, transforming it into valuable building materials and furniture.Meanwhile, Lanely focuses on utilizing kepok banana peels combined with mint leaves, resulting in an innovative idea for hair vitamins.
Both businesses are committed to sustainability and offer practical solutions to reduce waste while creating high-value economic products.
Additionally, students continue to innovate by utilizing chicken feather waste to create eco-friendly organic fertilizer through a business named PLUMIX. This innovation helps reduce the difficult-to-decompose chicken feather waste and produces high-quality fertilizer beneficial for organic farming. The PLUMIX business reflects students’ entrepreneurial spirit in seeking sustainable solutions and positively contributing to the environment.
Lastly, Sulfa Compost offers a solution for utilizing baglog waste as a medium for earthworm cultivation (vermicompost), providing tangible contributions to waste management and organic fertilizer production.
In the Pogung Dalangan area, which is a boarding house area for many students and known as a waste producer, Kronikologi emerges as an innovative solution to address organic waste problems by utilizing Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae to process organic waste, transforming it into valuable products.
All the selected businesses focus on waste reduction and creating eco-friendly and sustainable products, reflecting a commitment to environmental preservation and innovation in waste management.
Author: Dita
Editor: Gusti Grehenson