BARRU – Waste management remains a challenge in many villages, including Lompo Tengah Village in Barru Regency. Waste that piles up without being properly handled can harm the environment and public health. Starting from this problem, students of the 116th wave of the Community Service Program (KKN) at Hasanuddin University proposed using an incinerator to support a more effective and sustainable waste management system.
An incinerator is a device or machine designed specifically to destroy waste by burning it at very high temperatures (usually between 800°C and 1,200°C). The technology aims to drastically reduce the volume of waste (by up to 90%) and turn it into ash.
The construction of a waste incinerator by the KKN students is an implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The activity is relevant to at least SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 4 (Quality Education).
Abid Muwaffaq Akhmad, the Village Coordinator, explained that the idea arose from field observation and discussions with the village government and community before the work program was drawn up. In identifying needs, waste was one of the priority issues raised by the village government.
Accordingly, the Unhas KKN Wave 116 student team designed the construction of an incinerator as an alternative for reducing the volume of waste. With this machine, burning waste becomes more controlled, making waste management more effective while minimizing its impact on the environment.
“We did not want to come bringing only a program that had already been prepared. Through building the incinerator, we hope to help reduce the accumulation of waste and, at the same time, take a first step toward raising public awareness of the importance of environmental management,” Abid explained.
Supervising lecturer Dr. Alpiani, S.Pi., M.Si., stressed that KKN is not only part of students’ learning process but must also produce innovations that bring real benefits to the community.
“I hope this will not just be a memory that KKN students once were in Lompo Tengah Village, but that there will also be an innovation from these young students that can be seen, used, and have a lasting impact on the community as a result of the KKN work program,” Alpiani explained.
The Head of Lompo Tengah Village, Arifudin Pabiseang, appreciated the students’ approach of starting their program planning with observation and discussion with the village government. In Arifudin’s view, handling waste with this method is expected to solve the waste problem in the area.
“We appreciate the Unhas KKN students, who did not immediately arrive with a program but first made observations and held discussions with the village government. This approach produced a program that is on target and suited to our needs,” Arifudin explained.
Besides building the incinerator as the main work program, the students also offered several supporting programs to strengthen the development of Lompo Tengah Village across various sectors. These include developing packaging for the village’s signature cakes to add value to local products, compiling a village history book, training in making Takakura compost, turning rice husks into briquettes, making a more environmentally friendly natural fungicide, and GEMARI (Gemar Memasyarakatkan Makan Ikan, or Fish-Eating Campaign) education for elementary school students to instill nutrition awareness from an early age.
All of these programs were introduced to the village government and community through the Seminar on the Work Programs of Hasanuddin University KKN Wave 116 Students, held in Lompo Tengah Village, Barru Regency, on Wednesday (15 July). The event marked the start of collaboration among the students, the village government, and the community in implementing various innovations based on local potential to support more sustainable village development. (*/alp/mir)
The Unhas KKN students in Lompo Tengah Village are:
1. Novlirayana pidun( Faculty of Cultural Sciences)
2. Indo Cenning (Faculty of Cultural Sciences)
3. Nur Fadhilah PutrI (Faculty of Engineering)
4. Clarissa Gloria Novita Rahmadani (Faculty of Fisheries)
5. Abid Muwaffaq Akhmad (Faculty of Agriculture)
6. Rahmat T ( Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.