UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) continues to uphold its strong commitment to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of its latest initiatives comes from the Student Legislative Body (BLM) of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), which has initiated a community service program. Titled “Maggot Bank: Optimizing Organic Waste Through Maggot Box to Boost Productivity and Strengthen the Economy of Ketapangtelu Village Toward Sustainable, Self-Reliant Community,” this initiative aims to promote environmental sustainability while fostering economic growth.
As part of the program, BLM FEB UNAIR aligns its efforts with SDG Goal 1, No Poverty, and Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, in Ketapangtelu Village, Lamongan Regency. The program successfully concluded on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
“We convert household waste using the Maggot Box, an innovative system integrated with Maggot Bank, an online platform designed for waste management,” explained Muhammad Afif Muqsith, Head of BLM FEB UNAIR and the program’s chief architect.
Strategies for effective waste management
The Maggot Bank initiative was born from an assessment of Muqsith’s team’s proposal for the Student Scientific Competition (KIM), which had previously failed to secure funding under the Student Creativity Program (PKM). Rather than letting the idea go to waste, the team, under the auspices of BLM FEB UNAIR, repurposed it into a community service project, which ultimately received funding from UNAIR’s SDGs Center.
Over a four-week period, BLM FEB UNAIR collaborated with Ketapangtelu Village’s youth organization to implement the program. The initiative began with a field survey to evaluate local waste management practices.
“There is no designated landfill (TPS) in the village. Waste is simply discarded without any structured management,” Muqsith shared in an interview with UNAIR NEWS. This challenge underscored the need for intervention, making Ketapangtelu Village an ideal location for the project.
Following the survey, BLM FEB UNAIR conducted educational sessions on waste segregation. In the subsequent weeks, they introduced residents to the Maggot Box and provided hands-on training in its maintenance. To further support community engagement, the team donated several Maggot Boxes to members of the youth organization, allowing them to gain practical experience in organic waste processing.
Sustainable innovation
The initiative received strong support from local residents, who expressed enthusiasm for the new approach to waste management. Muqsith emphasized that the program significantly raised awareness among villagers about the importance of proper waste disposal and sustainable practices.
Encouraged by this success, Muqsith hopes that BLM FEB UNAIR will continue to expand the program, ensuring its long-term sustainability. One key objective is to increase the economic value of the Maggot Box system, allowing it to serve as both an environmental solution and a source of livelihood for the community. This will be facilitated through the integration of Maggot Bank, a web-based platform that monitors maggot production.
“Our goal is to expand Maggot Box distribution beyond isolated areas, implementing it more systematically across all neighborhood units (RT and RW) in Ketapangtelu Village,” concluded the Sharia Economics student.
Author: Zahwa Sabiila Ilman Ramadhani
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
