The Social Welfare Studies Program (IKS), Faculty of Da’wah and Communication at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta, conducted an academic visit and community service activity to two waste management sites in Banyumas Regency: KSM Randu Makmur Patikraja and the BLE Landfill (TPA BLE) Banyumas, on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

The visit involved 20 PBSB scholarship recipients, 5 faculty members and staff, as well as community partners from the university’s community service program (PkM), including representatives from LKSA NU Bintan Sa’dillah and the Kabekelan Jumat Kliwon group of Jetak Hamlet, Sendangtirto Village, Depok Subdistrict, Sleman. The group departed from Jetak at 6 a.m. using two buses.

The first stop was KSM Randu Makmur Patikraja, which operates at the Kedungrandu Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST). The group was welcomed by the Head of KSM Randu Makmur, Mr. Wahidin, who presented the community-based waste management system implemented in the area. According to Wahidin, the TPST employs around 40 workers, serves 3,000 households with a monthly fee of Rp30,000 per customer, and generates approximately Rp90 million in monthly revenue.

He explained that waste management in Banyumas has now become systemically integrated. The Banyumas Regency Government has established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and transformed the old “Pile, Place, Dump” model into a circular economy framework, where all processes—from collection and sorting to recycling—are interconnected. Under this model, TPST Randu Makmur operates with monthly expenses of Rp120 million and generates Rp130 million in income, making it one of the most self-sustaining and financially independent waste management units in the region.

Meanwhile, according to the Head of the Environmental Affairs Division of Banyumas Regency, the waste management system is structured across three main layers: upstream, midstream, and downstream, with TPSTs functioning in the midstream layer. The initiative began in response to a waste management crisis in 2018, prompting the local government to build TPST facilities and delegate their operation to community-based groups (KSM) formed through village deliberations (Musdes).

“There are currently 70 KSMs across Banyumas, 45 of which already operate TPSTs,” he explained. He also highlighted the local slogan “Sumpah Beruang”—short for Sulap Sampah Berubah Uang (“Turning Waste into Wealth”)—as a symbol of the region’s circular economy approach. For waste collection services, the local government also developed a digital platform called Salinmas JekNyong, which enables residents to request waste pick-up and sell sorted recyclables directly from their homes.

Following the visit to Kedungrandu TPST, the group proceeded to the BLE Landfill (TPA BLE) in Banyumas, where participants observed maggot cultivation as a method of organic waste management, as well as the production of paving blocks and roof tiles made from recycled plastic waste. These innovations demonstrated how environmentally friendly practices can be combined with local economic empowerment through the creative reuse of household waste.

In addition to the academic visit, the participants held a reflection and recreational session at Jetis Beach, Cilacap. The activity served as an opportunity to strengthen the bond between faculty, students, and community partners, while deepening their understanding of the intersection between social welfare, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment.