Waste

The Piyungan integrated waste disposal site receives about 300 tons of daily waste every day. Based on the findings of the Environmental Office of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, each household produces around 0.7 to 1 kilogram of waste per day. Cumulatively, every day 100 garbage trucks dump garbage in Piyungan. Without proper management, this can trigger various health problems, damage to marine ecosystems, and air pollution.

Volcanic activity in Indonesia sometimes causes eruptions accompanied by volcanic ash, which causes a decrease in air quality in the area around the mountain. The decrease in air quality by volcanic ash is caused by chemical gases such as CO, NO2, and SO2, so any long exposure to volcanic ash may cause acute respiratory infection (ARI). Unfortunately, the N95 masks that the public has used have not effectively filtered volcanic ash less than 300nm in size. In addition, the polymer content made from plastic in N95 masks is prone to waste that is difficult to degrade naturally.

UNY students made a wallet with a security system that will inform the owner when the wallet is more than 10 meters apart from its owner. Uniquely, the wallet is made of banana midrib fiber, given a Javanese letter pattern. They are Asni Muslimah (Clothing Engineering Education), Annisa Nurfatimah Febrianti (Accounting Education), Annisa Alimah Ufairoh (Physical Education), Latifah Nur Khasanah (Chemical Education), and Atiqotul Maula Al Farihah (Sociological Education). According to Asni Muslimah, they made the smart wallet because many people still use conventional wallets.

Household waste is one of the most crucial problems nowadays. In big cities, waste is a significant problem that is still difficult to solve. Based on the type of waste itself, it is divided into two parts: organic waste, which can be decomposed with the help of micro-organisms, and inorganic waste, which cannot be decomposed naturally. The problem of waste in urban areas is an issue that is still considered very important to study about its solution. We need technology to help the community manage waste, especially plastic waste.

Making tempe produces waste that emits an unpleasant odor and contaminates waterways. This waste can be in washing water, cooking water, and soaking water for soybeans and tempeh dregs. However, in wastewater-boiled soybeans, there are nutrients Phosphorus (P), Nitrogen (N), and Potassium (K) which are needed for plant growth rate. Nastiti Estiningtyas, a student of the UNY Science Education study program, tries to process tempe waste to be useful and safe for the surrounding environment.

Plastic has the characteristics of being light, easy to shape, and processed. Therefore, it is only natural that its use increases every year. However, the existing plastic waste has not been fully utilized on a large scale, so that it is increasingly piling up and overloaded. Various products from recycled plastic waste are currently more numerous and varied, ranging from handicrafts and paving blocks, and some even process them by pyrolysis into fuel.

The attempt to manage and reduce waste as part of responsible production are one of the main points on the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. Athi 'Nur Auliati Rahmah (Physics Education Study Program Student), Bian Itsna Ashfa Al Ashfiya (Physics Study Program Student) and Muhammad Rizki (Physics Study Program Student) has successfully presented their innovative concept on tofu factory waste purification and earn 2nd  place at UNY Scientific Fair (UNYSEF) 2021. This event organized by the Student Research Activity Unit (UKM-P) UNY.