Bogor, February 28, 2025 – Een Irawan Putra, S.Hut, in a guest lecture delivered to 6th-semester students of the ESL Department as part of the capstone course preparation, emphasized the importance of waste management. Waste, especially in urban areas, has become a critical issue due to the increasing population, which leads to higher consumption and, eventually, more waste. Improper waste management has the potential to cause pollution of water, soil, and air. Therefore, in the guest lecture titled Environmental Sustainability and Livelihoods, Een highlighted various waste management strategies, as well as soil and water conservation efforts. One of the key programs discussed was the processing of low-value plastic waste into useful products, along with the Bijak Berplastik (Biber) initiative. Another program related to water conservation mentioned was the infiltration wells.

The city of Bogor serves as a concrete example of environmental management with the establishment of the Ciliwung River Naturalization Task Force (Satgas Naturalisasi Ciliwung) since 2018. Various initiatives have been undertaken, including community education, the construction of Temporary Waste Processing Sites (TPS3R), and collaboration with the private sector. As a result, in the past two years, waste generation along the Ciliwung River has drastically decreased, and several neighborhoods supported by the initiative have won awards in cleanliness competitions.

This program demonstrates that circular economy approaches and community education can create a tangible impact in achieving a more sustainable environment. With support from various parties, it is hoped that innovations like these can be more widely adopted to maintain ecosystem balance and community welfare.