Cultivating Garbage Consciousness, IPB Students Created Funny Garbage Containers
Up to now garbage problem is still to be the subject of major concern for our society. Garbage problem is not only about how to process waste dump, but also about the disposing of trash. Trash is becoming a larger and larger problem for us and for the environment. As we continue to waste more and more, we use more natural resources and increase pollution in our world. Many people think littering may sound like a small thing, but big things almost always start out as little things. Solid waste damps are seriously spoiling the environmental conditions. Some of these cause air pollution, affect ozone layer and causes of ozone depletion which finally become the major reason for the change of temperature in the atmosphere, (the cause and effects of global warming ). Pollution of surface waters (rivers, lakes, ponds), ground waters, sea water are all harmful for human and animal. Water pollution due to sewage has been assuming menancing proportions. Water pollution where chemical and radioactive substances interfere with the genetic and reproductive fauna, can affect all components of the environment as the movement of metal emissions will affect the health of living things (Darmono 2010).
Environmental awareness, is one of the nation's character values that must be taught. An effort to encourage the improvement of the quality of human resources is the emergence of the idea of character education for education in Indonesia. Character education is an educational movement that supports the social, emotional and ethical development students. Character education to love environment to teach children not throwing garbage anywhere should be started at early age of children. This issue brings the initiative for a group of students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) to create technological innovations for character education, it is the “Tongcu Perdu” (tong sampah lucu dan permainan edukatif = funny garbage can and educative game). It is efforts to promote the social development and preserve culture to promoting such an ethos not throwing garbage anywhere at early age.
The educational movement, chaired by Wildan Anas Pratita (Wildan), originated from the activity of Bina Cinta Lingkungan (BCL) held by the Institute of Research and Community Empowerment (LPPM) of IPB when he was in his first year. This brief activity apparently left a deep impression on Wildan. He was inspired to creat similar movement for other different places. Finally, he got the opportunity to implement his ideas through Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa bidang Penelitian (PKM-P Student Creativity Program for Research). During which, he invited his four friends to join this program.
The innovation of "Tongcu Perdu" includes environmental education for children, especially about maintaining environmental hygiene through exciting games such as snake ladders, teaching the funny trash making process with various creations, as well as making liquid compost from organic waste. This program has been going on for three months, the venue of the program was SDN 5 Situ Gede. The total number of students participated in such program were 116 (one hundred and sixteen) pupils in the 3rd-5th year of elementary schools. This program is routinely held every Saturday morning. Until now almost 20 trashes funny fruit have been produced by pupil's own hands. They made those trashes can by utilizing used items such as paint cans. They cleaned and painted those paint cans or put colour as they like.
The high enthusiasm of the children caused Wildan and his team increasingly eager to share their knowledge. Their enthusiasms were seen as they were active to attend the program and raised a lot of questions. In addition, they were locked in a passionate embrace in doing their funny trash cans. Wildan and team expected that the trash cans made by their own hands will be useful and motivate them to keep their environment clean by throwing garbage in its place. Further, Wildan also hopes that those pupils will transmit the spirit of environmental love to their relatives at home. (Wied)
