Optimizing the Neglected Waste

Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Bengkulu.          

In the note of 'The Story Of Coffee', Indonesia is one of the largest countries in the world, consisting of thousands of islands. Several main islands, such as Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi, are known worldwide for their high-quality coffee.

In the island of Sumatra, Bengkulu province produces 80 tons of coffee per year. With this large production, Bengkulu is the third-largest coffee-producer in Indonesia. With this fact, almost all plains of Bengkulu are overgrown with coffee plants. Coffee plantations are very large in Central Bengkulu Regency. Most people there have their own Robusta coffee plantation. That’s why there are so many coffee lovers there and coffee has been used as their daily beverage.

With large coffee production, it causes piles of coffee husk waste at coffee mill factories. On this occasion, Stube held a meeting to turn this coffee husk waste into something useful that can be used as a substance in other products. So, we went to the coffee mill area to collect coffee husk waste to be used as fertilizer (Saturday, 30/05/2023).

The materials needed are coffee husks, organic waste, and manure. First, put the coffee husk in a sack, then also put the manure and organic waste into it. Repeat until the pile is 1 meter high. Then covered with plastic to protect it from rain and sun. For this fertilizer, you have to wait 1-2 months until all the substances are ready to be used as plants fertilizer.

Although making coffee husks as fertilizer is not a new thing for the people of Central Bengkulu, they only use coffee husks that have been idled for 1 month and mixed with red soil, then given to the flower plants. On this process, we added manure and organic waste for addition.

Apart from the fertilizer-making activity, we discussed how to turn waste into something useful. In addition to the coffee husk waste that we have used as fertilizer, other ideas exist, namely how to use cassava waste, ketupak fruit husks, dry leaves, dried flowers, plastic sachets, and other wastes met in everyday life, and even how can they be a material for another products.

Next month, the fertilizer made at this time will be a good fertilizer for plants. Thank you very much to Stube HEMAT for facilitating us to carry out this activity and obtaining many good benefits in each meeting, adding insight and job opportunities. ***


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