Malang, MC – For most people, garbage is something disgusting. However, not for some other people including the staff of the Environmental Service (DLH) of Malang City. Every day they struggle with piles of garbage.
One of them is Mr. Nawari. Every day, this middle-aged man works at the sorting, composting and recycling house (PKD) Gadang, Malang City. Among his friends, Mr. Nawari is indeed the most senior in age. The wrinkles on his face do not diminish his enthusiasm for doing this job that is sometimes considered trivial.
In this PKD Gadang place, he and several of his friends work among the mountains of garbage and the unpleasant smell, sorting various types of garbage. That's his job, separating organic and inorganic waste, dry and wet waste seems trivial indeed, but not everyone can and wants to do it. The 56-year-old man said that he loves his job.
"I'm just happy, the problem is that it's already my job. The sad part is, many people don't like trash. That's trash," he said with a smile, Friday (18/2/2022).
Nawari said that he has been with DLH for almost 20 years. Sitting among the mountains of garbage, he deftly sorts the garbage. Then turns on a machine for one of the compost sifting processes. Those are some of his daily activities since 2003.
"Here every day we sort the trash. Organic ones such as leftover food, vegetables and fruits, meat, leaves, and others are made into compost. As for used items that can still be used such as bottles, sometimes there are people who take them and some are taken to the trash bank," he explained, on the sidelines of the activity.
He further explained the composting process at PKD. After being sorted, it is then stacked, doused with biosun (activator solution), and covered with a tarpaulin like this. "This decomposition process takes four weeks, then it is spread out and sifted. Yes, the compost yield is approximately 50 sacks per production," he said enthusiastically.
Compost that has been packed in plastic will be given to the community for free. DLH Malang City continues to maximize PKD houses to utilize waste into something that has utility value for the people of Malang City.
On Waste Awareness Day which falls on February 21, Nawari hopes that everyone has the awareness not to throw trash anywhere and if possible make trash into something useful like compost. (ari/ram)
