Students specializing in Environmental Health from the Public Health Study Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Muhammadiyah University, Surakarta, carried out field visits on Wednesday 10 July 2024 in two places, namely the Sewon IPAL Cooperative Hall – Yogyakarta and the KSM Pilah Berkah Pawiyatan Depot – Imogiri. This visit is part of a series of activities in the Waste Management Practicum course which aims to increase students’ understanding of household waste management in the Yogyakarta area. This activity was accompanied by Mrs. Rezania Asyfiradayati, S.K.M., M.P.H. as a teaching lecturer.

The first visit was carried out at the Sewon IPAL Production Hall – Yogyakarta. Sewon IPAL Balaim is a technical implementing unit tasked with managing residential wastewater networks and treatment systems, and managing drinking water network systems across districts/cities. Sewon IPAL, which is located in the Yogyakarta Urban Area (KPY), was the main focus of this visit. With an installation area covering more than 80% of the total land of 6.7 hectares, Sewon IPAL is one of the largest waste management centers in the region. Starting in 1994 using the Facultative Aerated Lagoon system, Sewon IPAL then switched in early 2022 to the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system, which is known to be effective in waste management. Students are invited to see firsthand the waste management process from the beginning to the end. Students gain an in-depth understanding of the various stages in wastewater treatment, including the management of human waste. The scheme of the Sewon IPAL operating system includes various stages starting from the inlet, manhole divider, to the bedog river outlet.

The second visit was carried out at the KSM Pilah Berkah Pawiyatan Depot – Bantul. The students’ visit was welcomed by Mrs. Yekti Murwani as the main director of KSM Pilah Berkah, the students were explained about the beginning of the process of establishing KSM Pilah Berkah. In realizing their role as agents of change, especially activities related to environmental change issues, students carry out field studies to learn and open up insights regarding good and correct waste management at KSM Pilah Berkah. Students were given material on household-scale complete waste management which was successfully developed by KSM Pilah Berkah, starting from sorting waste to applying waste management results.