Creating ‘Rumah Kardus’, IPB Students Invite Villagers to Overcome Waste

The waste problem continues to be a frightening scourge in various regions. Beautiful, clean and healthy life has not become a basic need for the nation of Indonesia. In fact, simple matter like waste problem has not been able to be solved.

Five students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), namely Ahmad Lani, Dian Utami, Triyogo Alexandria, Nur Darojatin Hiddayah and Primanisa Hadiningtyas, establishes 'Rumah Kardus' innovation in Cilubang Mekar Village, Bogor, West Java.

Under the guidance of Sutoyo, S.TP, M.Si, they creates a work called 'Rumah Kardus' which stands for 'Rumah Karya Desaku Sekarang'. This creation has passed the Student Creativity Program for the Community Service (PKM-M), titled ' Rumah Kardus as SDG's (Sustainable Development Goals) through the 3R Program (Reuse, Reduce and Recycle)'. The purpose of 'Rumah Kardus' is to produce creations from the garbage.

Cilubang Village is a beautiful village, but it has no Temporary Disposal Site (TPS). "People throw their garbage into a river or be burned or dumped in empty fields. This behavior pollutes the environment. Therefore, we invite the community to create an integrated waste management site," said Ahmad Lani. The target of Rumah Kardus program is the housewives in Cilubang Mekar Village. 

"We invite the housewives to overcome the waste problem by producing works. We try to establish a garbage bank called ' Rumah Kardus' which is expected to produce crafts in the future," he said.

Three achievement targets of 'SDG's Rumah Kardus' are social, economic and sustainable production in the household scale. From a social perspective, it aims to invite the community to care about the environment. In terms of economy, training on waste management (inorganic waste into craft and organic waste into compost) will be held. A group that will be the administrator of 'Rumah Kardus' will be formed. Administrative arrangements will also be taught for better management.

"The benefits that will be obtained from this 'Rumah Kardus' are not only handicrafts, but it also brings income from the economic aspect. Eventually cash money from 'Rumah Kardus' can be used to create a garden, either a family medicinal plant garden or playground park for children," he explained.

The first program of the construction of 'Rumah Kardus' has been implemented by these five students of IPB. Matoa (Motivation for Society) is an opening program of a series of 'Rumah Kardus' development programs.

"We explained that the environment affects future generation. We believe that stressful environment and lots of waste will create a stressful generation as well. But if the environment is creative and educative, the creative and educational generation will be formed," he said.

Should this 'Rumah Kardus' program is successful, in the future it will be developed not only in one place, but also in other villages experiencing similar cases. In addition, this team will invite various parties to become partners for actualizing 'Rumah Kardus' program. (Ath/ZSP/Zul)