b – In the Covid-19 era, UNAIR Community Service Program (KKN) was conducted differently from the previous years’. Students are not fully going into society, but the outcome generated can be appropriately realized. So is KKN held by group 106 in Malang City. This KKN focused on work programs related to the current pandemic.
Muhammad Adrian Fauzi as the leader, said that their group would organize activities in 4 fields of work, namely business design, environmental, education, and economics fields. The four will cover every problem in Toyomarto Village during the pandemic.
One of the programs in the spotlight is the utilization of household waste treatment. Constant activities in houses result in twice more waste from the usual. Considering the activities carried out by the community only in the house when the pandemic took place.
Cooking oil waste is one of the waste. Housewives often throw away the cooking oil waste without utilizing it as something valuable. When used repeatedly, it will be carcinogenic to food. The waste is included in B3, which is terrible for the environment. It is also the background why group 106 utilizes cooking oil waste for the KKN program they organize.
We innovate the waste into something with selling values and is beneficial to the people in Toyomarto Village, considering that the pandemic has impacted some residents’ economics,” explained Adrian.
He also said that this waste would be utilized for aromatherapy candles. Housewives will be given counseling in advance regarding the danger of waste and the benefit of waste recycling. After that, they held a practice session of making cooking oil waste into aromatic candles.
“The people were enthusiastic towards this activity, clearly visible from their facial expression when they first know the extraordinary benefits of the waste they have often thrown out every day,” revealed Adrian to UNAIR NEWS on February 11.
Furthermore, he added that this program is also implemented along with online marketplace education to sell the aromatic candles they had made. Thus, this plan could provide sustainable knowledge and benefit in materials to the villagers.
Adrian revealed some villagers are grateful for the program organized. One of the villagers said that the community services had provided the economic values they expected so far.
“Hopefully, this plan could continue forward. So, the villagers do not worry about the continuing pandemic. At least this program could meet the needs for additional income, considering the material used is easily obtained and free,” Adrian concluded.
Author: Azka Fauziya
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
