Starfruit (malangkota.go.id) – Creative ideas can come from anywhere, even from piles of trash and used goods. Various non-metallic waste is like a pile of gold that can be profitable for a recycling craftsman like Ernik Yustiana. Yes, Yustin is the owner of Yust Collection, a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) that utilizes various non-metallic waste such as paper, plastic, glass, leftover cloth and leather and turns them into aesthetic and economically valuable items.
Initially, Yustin was a batik writer. However, because in 2015 there was a conversion from kerosene to LPG, kerosene became scarce and her batik writing business became quieter. Never giving up, she tried to find other opportunities. She started this waste recycling business because she saw the increasing amount and ease of non-metallic waste found around her. Thanks to her creativity, Yustin was finally able to turn the waste into various crafts such as accessories, study lamps, bags, and fashion.
"During the pandemic, we were down, but we survived by making masks from scraps of fabric. After that, we started using scraps of fabric to make bags and we tried to enter the fashion world. We gave the brand 𝙏𝙨𝙪𝙮 to various forms of bags made from recycled plastic and scraps of fabric," explained Yustin when interviewed at her workshop, Monday (3/2/2025).
Not only earning rupiah, through this business Yustin also hopes to participate in helping the government in managing waste generation. In addition, Yustin also empowers local residents to participate in the work and together create a clean and beautiful environment. "I want to make Yust Collection an environmentally friendly business and empower many local residents. My dream is to make Yust Collection a recycling production center in Malang City," he said optimistically.
This UMKM located on Jalan Binor VIII/8, Bunulrejo, Malang City has also had a Business Identification Number (NIB) 'Yust Collection' since 2019. In the same year, Yustin together with several batik makers in Bunulrerjo founded the Kantil Batik Community and finally she returned to actively producing hand-drawn batik with the brand 𝙀𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙠𝙈𝙗𝙤. Now, the Yust Collection NIB has been issued with two businesses, namely recycling and hand-drawn batik.
"As for production capacity Tsuy currently it is around 30-50 pieces per month. The price starts from five thousand rupiah for key chains, and can reach two million rupiah for recycled carnival costumes. For various bags, it starts from 35-150 thousand rupiah. Meanwhile, the production of 𝙀𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙠𝙈𝙗𝙤 is currently around 5-10 pieces per month. For this production, I am assisted by ten temporary workers," he said.
Thanks to her skills, Yustin has participated in several fashion shows and carnivals. The mother of two sons now has a competency certificate as an instructor and is often invited to various training programs and is a destination for student visits. Even now, Yustin is actively teaching extracurricular recycling and batik at several schools.
Yustin has also achieved various achievements. In the field of recycling, her creative work brought Yustin the award for the Most Unique Costume (Kartini Run Jakarta 2019), the Best Recycled Costume (National Waste Jamboree in Bali 2019), and Third Place in the Malang City Recycling Competition 2020. Yustin also won Second Place in Batik Design in Malang in 2021, and improved by winning First Place in Batik Design in Malang in 2022. (ari/yn)
