Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ) expanded its contribution to sustainable development through a community empowerment initiative in Indramayu Regency. This cross-faculty collaboration between the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (FISH) and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UNJ targets SMP Negeri 1 Gabus Wetan as a pilot model for appropriate technology-based waste management.
The program, conducted in early July 2026, aims to integrate environmental education with the development of social entrepreneurship (sociopreneurship) within the school environment. Through this approach, the school is expected to transform waste management into an economically valuable activity while shaping student character to be responsive to ecological issues.
The Principal of SMP Negeri 1 Gabus Wetan, H. Rohsidin, welcomed the collaboration. He emphasized that this synergy is a strategic step for the school in strengthening environment-based character education, which aligns with the school's vision of creating a culture of caring for nature among all students.
Prof. Budiaman, head of the UNJ community service team, stressed the importance of schools as incubators of ecological intelligence. According to him, environmental education today is not enough with just cleanliness theory; it must involve technical skills and problem-solving. Through this program, students are encouraged to be more critical in sorting and processing waste into products with added value.
As a concrete implementation, waste processing technology expert Aam Amaningsih Jumhur presented an upstream-to-downstream waste management strategy. She emphasized that with the right technology, the burden on landfills can be significantly reduced by up to 80 percent. Aam also shared the success of the Mutiara Waste Bank in Bekasi as a field reference that has utilized shredding machines and pyrolysis technology as a center for innovation and education.
The community service activity concluded with an interactive discussion session that finalized the operational concept of the waste bank at SMPN 1 Gabus Wetan. UNJ is committed to continuing academic assistance so that this waste management model can be replicated by other educational institutions, accelerating the realization of a circular economy in Indramayu Regency.
