PRESS RELEASE: Indonesian Students Conduct Ecobrick Education and Training to Promote a Clean and Sustainable Environment

Depok, UIN News Online - UIN Jakarta students who are members of the scholarship recipient community from Karya Salemba Empat (KSE) Foundation successfully hosted the event “Gebyar Peduli Sampah Plastik: Education and Training on Plastic Recycling into Ecobrik”. This event took place simultaneously on Saturday (23/11/2024) in 35 locations throughout Indonesia, attended by more than 6,000 participants from various backgrounds, including students, students, teachers, and environmentalist communities as a real form of Dedication to the Country.

In addition to UIN Jakarta students, the event also involved students from various universities in Indonesia, who participated in providing education and training on plastic waste management and ecobricking as a creative and environmentally friendly solution. The presence of UIN Jakarta as host adds to the spirit of collaboration in the effort to promote environmental awareness among the younger generation.

The event aims to provide the community, especially elementary school students, with an understanding of the importance of disposing of waste in its proper place and how to process plastic waste into ecobricks. Ecobricking is a method of filling used plastic bottles with non-organic waste, so they can be used as alternative decoration, furniture and building materials.

“We want to encourage changes in the mindset and habits of elementary school children, to be more concerned about environmental cleanliness and be able to process plastic waste into something useful,” said Rendi Seftian, Donor Relations of Karya Salemba Empat Foundation.

Series of Activities: Education and Training

Activities have started since one month ago in the form of educational sessions guided by students. The material presented included the negative impact of plastic waste on the environment and the importance of building the habit of disposing of waste in its place. After that, students challenged elementary school students to collect plastic bottles and packaging for 3 weeks.

The students enthusiastically took action to clean up the environment at school and home. The highlight of the event was the ecobricking training. In this session, participants were taught the practical steps of processing plastic waste into ecobricks, from sorting plastic, cleaning plastic waste, compacting it into used bottles, to how to ensure ecobricks are of good quality. “This activity will foster awareness of protecting the environment, keeping the school clean, and also increase children's creativity,” said Mulyati, Head of State Elementary School 02 Cinangka, Depok.

More than 10,000 ecobrick bottles were made in this activity. The bottles will be crafted into objects that can be utilized, such as decorations, benches, tables, gates, and so on. KSE scholarship students along with various communities, including UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, assisted elementary school students in making ecobrick creations in the culminating Gebyar Ecobrick event held simultaneously on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

The event, centered at SDN Cinangka 02, was connected to 34 other locations online via Zoom and YouTube. The event was also attended by Bank Indonesia as a collaboration partner who shares the same vision and goals as the KSE Foundation in educating the public on the environment. On this occasion, Bank Indonesia provided education about “Cinta Bangga Paham Rupiah” to participants, especially elementary school children.

“Loving Indonesia can be done in many ways. In addition to protecting the environment by ecobricking, children must also protect the future and welfare of the nation by loving and being proud of Indonesia's currency,” said a message from Bank Indonesia's Communications Department.

Bank Indonesia also provided hygiene kits to partner schools. This effort is to support schools in continuing education and good habits in maintaining school hygiene. One of the special ones at SDN Cinangka 02, Bank Indonesia and KSE scholarship students made smart trash can technology that can open trash cans automatically according to organic and inorganic waste. The goal is that elementary school students can learn to sort waste with this trash can technology.

Sustainable Commitment

As a follow-up to this activity, the students of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta who are members of the KSE UIN Jakarta association together with local communities will continue to provide education to other schools and connect schools with waste banks around them. This initiative is expected to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills and increase public awareness.

Through this activity, the KSE scholarship students hope to inspire more people to take small but meaningful steps towards environmental sustainability.

(Aida Adha Siregar/Fauziah M./Dzihan Aufa Kilmi Firdausi)