PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) and its fostered community groups received two awards in the 2024 Beritajatim Award. BSI won the title of Local Human Resources Quality Driving Corporation and Sundarianto, who is a member of BSI’s fostered group, received the Local Hero award as a maggot cultivation activist.
The award event is the culmination of a series of Beritajatim.com 18th anniversary events on May 2, 2024 in Surabaya, East Java. That night, the media, which is one of the main references for the people of East Java, gave awards to various inspirational figures, institutions, and corporations who continue to advance various social fields.
“I’m happy,” said Sundarianto. “This is the first award I have won.” He also thanked all parties who continue to support him.
Sundarianto’s efforts began seven years ago. Unable to bear the mountain of garbage around his house, he invited his friends at Pemuda Etan Gladak Anyar Indonesia (PEGA) to handle the garbage. In 2017, he started processing waste and cultivating maggots—black fly larvae for alternative animal feed. In 2019, his business received support from BSI.
Sundarianto’s maggot cultivation continues to grow. His waste processing also penetrated into other fields, one of which is the development of solid and liquid organic fertilizers, which makes him often go around introducing organic agriculture.
“Now many residents have invited me to share the knowledge of waste management and maggot cultivation,” said Sundarianto. Not only in Banyuwangi, he has also been invited to Australia for a study on waste management. He hopes that his victory in the 2024 Beritajatim Award can inspire other residents to care more about the surrounding environment.
“Hopefully this innovation can lift welfare and encourage our competitiveness in the agricultural sector,” said Emil Dardak, Deputy Governor of East Java, to BSI on the award night.
Sundarianto’s patron group, PEGA, is a BSI-fostered group in the Community Development and Empowerment Program (PPM). Through PPM, BSI targets community independence in a sustainable manner. The collaboration with PEGA is very helpful for BSI in addressing food waste at the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine. In accordance with the principle of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) held by the Merdeka Group, the food waste is used as animal feed and media for maggot cultivation.
Like Sundarianto, PEGA activists also continue to grow. In addition to processing waste, they are also trainers, consultants, and companions in various waste management programs, including being presenters for campuses inside and outside Banyuwangi. PEGA was also nominated for the top 10 best participants in the 2023 Jagoan Tani event and became a representative of Banyuwangi Regency in the assessment of Healthy Cities in the environmental category.
The continued development of PEGA is one of the proofs of the success of BSI’s PPM program, as well as emphasizing the importance of efforts to establish partnerships and good relations with communities around the mine, in order to achieve community independence in a sustainable manner.
