Wastehub Save the Earth by Managing Waste in the Tourism Area in Wae Lolos Village, East Nusa Tenggara

Labuan Bajo, December 12, 2022 – Waste Solution Hub (Wastehub®), a social initiative focused on waste management and the circular economy in urban and tourism areas with a collaborative approach. We worked with Politeknik Pariwisata El Bajo Commodus Flores on the Waste Management Curriculum program called “Oceanability,” which is a community-based program aimed at being implemented in tourism villages, especially in island regions. The program focuses on sustainable waste management, climate change adaptation, and circular economic empowerment in these areas. Through collaboration with local stakeholders and universities, we started mentoring in Wae Lolos Village. Wae Lolos Village is located in Sano Nggoang District, Manggarai Barat Regency, which has been designated as a tourism village through Manggarai Barat Regent’s Decree No. 27/KEP/HK/2020 regarding the designation of tourism villages in Manggarai Barat. Wae Lolos Village has diverse natural and cultural tourism potentials.

The program ran from August 2022 to December 2022 and will continue in the following semester. In partnership with the UNDP Movers Program, the curriculum began with lectures on biodiversity, climate change, its impacts on humans and the environment, and relevant examples from Manggarai Barat. Other topics included climate villages, waste management, waste classification, negative impacts of waste on the environment and tourism, as well as waste management regulations. The program also covered waste classification by category, the dangers of marine waste, the 3R concept (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle), applying 3R practices, and interview techniques, continuing until the end of November 2022. A total of 25 students participated in the waste management course, along with 17 residents from Wae Lolos Village, with intensive mentoring. The program used a hybrid learning method, field practice, interviews with 56 respondents in Wae Lolos Village, and both mid-term (UTS) and final-term (UAS) exams.

Next, Wastehub® collaborated with the U.S. Embassy through the Younified Program, including a beach cleanup at Pede Beach with Kole Project on December 7, 2022, field practices in Wae Lolos Village on December 5 and 9, 2022, and visits to the TPA Warloka and Indonesia Waste Platform (IWP) on December 12, 2022. The total waste collected by Kole Project for recycling was 29.2 kg, consisting of 13.7 kg of PET plastic and 15.5 kg of metal.

“Students are agents of change, and tourism is an important economic pillar for local communities. It’s essential for academics and local communities to set an example for other tourism villages in effective waste management,” said Ranitya Nurlita, Founder of Wastehub.

Haris, representing Kole Project, added, “Kole Project focuses on recycling, especially PET plastic, bottle caps, and cans. We saw waste in Labuan Bajo being discarded, even though it can be recycled and has economic value.”

Dr. Irna Kaban, a lecturer from Politeknik Pariwisata El Bajo Commodus Flores, stated, “Students, as the next generation in the tourism industry, are expected to be role models for the community in waste management. We hope they can provide solutions to the ongoing waste problems in Labuan Bajo, especially as a premium tourism area and in Manggarai Barat as a whole.”

Albert, Head of Pokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group) in Wae Lolos Village, said, “We have the Wae Lolos Ceriah slogan, consisting of six words: Creative, Beautiful, Tidy, Stunning, Safe, and Harmonious. I hope waste management gets more attention here. Cleanliness is the main issue in tourism villages. I propose that each hamlet have segregated waste collection points, with hamlet leaders responsible for maintaining cleanliness.”

Valeria, a student from the D3 Tourism program at Politeknik Pariwisata El Bajo Commodus Flores, hopes, “Students can provide education on plastic waste management in Wae Lolos Village, especially through ecobricks. We hope Wae Lolos becomes cleaner, and tourists also realize that waste still has value.”

Donatus Jehadu, Secretary of Wae Lolos Village, expressed, “For tourism in the future, we want our village to develop and attract more visitors. We need support from many parties to maintain a clean environment for tourism.”

Nasifah, a PAUD (Early Childhood Education) teacher in Wae Lolos Village, said, “We hope to improve the village’s potential so it’s recognized not just nationally but internationally. My hope for the children I teach is to change their mindset and have better facilities for environmental management.”

During visits to TPA Warloka and Indonesia Waste Platform (IWP) on December 12, 2022, students gained knowledge on waste management from upstream to downstream. The Oceanability program was successfully carried out through collaboration between Politeknik Pariwisata El Bajo Commodus Flores, UNDP Movers Program, and the U.S. Embassy through the Younified Program. Local partners involved were Kole Project, TPA Warloka, and Indonesia Waste Platform (IWP).

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