The beginning of May 2021 was the celebration of composting awareness day in various parts of the world. In this regard, we introduce a figure who has played an active role in the composting movement in Pejeng Village, Gianyar Regency. Jro Sri Umayanti, Compost Warrior, an Eco Champion from Bali.

The composting activity in Pejeng Village was started by cleaning cadre led by Jro Sri around the end of 2019. Currently, organic materials from 6 Banjars throughout Pejeng Village have been separated from inorganic materials. In the composting process, organic matter from households is chopped and then stacked. Within 3 months, the organic materials are air-flowed and turned back and forth regularly to become pure compost. At the waste processing facility in Pejeng Village, Jro Sri is active with 35 people who share roles with each other.

At first, Jro Sri arrange organic materials in the form of mounds. At that time, composting became a tiring activity. The arrival of the Merah Putih Hijau (MPH) program brought innovation in the compost production process, namely adding a blower to regularly circulate air in the compost. The composition of organic materials is also converted into a horizontal pile lengthwise according to the blower pipe. The introduction of composting technology and techniques by MPH has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of composting process in Pejeng Village.

The finished compost will be left for 1-2 weeks. Then the mature compost will be sifted to get the best texture. The sifted soft compost is ready to be marketed and immediately used by village residents to grow crops at home. Starting from a voluntary activity, currently Jro Sri able to make compost products whose demand never subsides. Every month, the facility in Pejeng Village can process 13 tons of organic matter into compost.

Apart from composting, Jro Sri also initiated a waste bank activity in the same location. In carrying out the management of organic and inorganic waste she experienced challenges, Jro Sri is never lowering his enthusiasm.

“The land we walk on is our PERTIWI (mother earth) and we have no right to pollute it. The most expensive inheritance for our children and grandchildren is a beautiful, healthy, and clean nature so that they are here to carry on all that in the future. The struggle is not an easy thing because we must have a sincere intention and desire in it”.

In addition to assisting waste management in Pejeng Village, MPH also initiated large-scale composting at the Temesi Recycling Center, Gianyar Regency. Currently, the production of compost in Temesi has been utilized by many farmers in Bali.

International Compost Awareness Week was first launched in Canada in 1995. This year ICAW took place simultaneously on May 2-8, 2021. ICAW USA took the theme “Grow, Eat, Compost … Repeat”. Meanwhile, ICAW Australia has the theme “Better Soil, Better Life, Better Future.”

Video credit : Nikolas Leonard-Artha