From Used Cooking Oil to Aromatherapy Candles: Sales Proceeds Help Fund Clean Water Access

A community initiative in Sirnaresmi Village, Bogor, West Java, is transforming used cooking oil waste into a product of economic value. The programme, run by local PKK women, processes the waste oil into aromatherapy candles, with the sales proceeds used to help procure water filters for the village, which struggles with access to clean water.

The programme was initiated by Sunda Galih, a former recipient of the SCG Sharing the Dream scholarship in 2023. While studying at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Galih conceived a community empowerment project that simultaneously addresses environmental issues and the need for clean water. “The goal is a cleaner Sirnaresmi. There are many problems, one of which is waste and the availability of clean water,” Galih said.

Galih explained that the choice of used cooking oil as the primary material was driven by the community’s waste management issues. Previously, the waste oil was often disposed of carelessly, either poured into rivers or onto the ground, causing pollution and making the soil soggy.

Through the programme named E-mission, the collected used cooking oil is processed into aromatherapy candles. The products are then sold, and the profits are allocated to procuring water filters for villages affected by clean water shortages. The programme thus targets two problems simultaneously: cooking oil waste and limited access to clean water.

Galih noted that aromatherapy candles were chosen because the production process is relatively simple, allowing the community, particularly the PKK women, to implement it directly. They are involved in the entire process, from collecting the used oil and filtering it to production and marketing. There are no strict specifications for the quality of the used oil collected; both relatively clear and very dirty oil can be utilised, with the difference lying only in the preparation and filtering process. All production activities are carried out at the Desa Sirnaresmi village hall, a regular meeting place for the PKK women’s group.