Garut Regency Builds School Using Recycled Plastic Bricks

The Garut Regency administration together with the Bakti Barito Foundation have built two new classrooms and toilet facilities at SDN 3 Sukanegla, Sukanegla Village, Garut Kota District, using recycled plastic bricks. The construction is the first in Garut Regency to utilise environmentally friendly materials for educational infrastructure. Garut Regent Abdusy Syakur Amin stated the new facility was the result of collaboration between the local government and the Bakti Barito Foundation to promote circular economy-based and sustainable development. “The construction of the new facility at SDN 3 Sukanegla received support from the Bakti Barito Foundation and we appreciate this collaboration. The circular economy-based construction concept aligns with the Garut Regency Government’s vision to drive sustainable development, particularly in education,” said Abdusy Syakur Amin. According to him, the new classrooms were built using wall panels made from plastic waste recycled through a modern process. The innovation is expected not only to improve the quality of educational facilities but also to serve as an educational medium for the community about the importance of waste management. “I hope the breakthrough initiated by the Bakti Barito Foundation will have a significant impact in education while becoming a tangible example for the people of Garut about the importance of waste management and environmental protection. Hopefully, cooperation like this can be implemented in more places,” he said. Bakti Barito Foundation Executive Director Fifi Pangestu explained the construction of SDN 3 Sukanegla carries a strong mission to support environmental conservation through the use of residual plastic waste, which has been difficult to process with conventional methods. “The SDN 3 Sukanegla building utilises materials from recycled residual plastic waste, the type of waste that generally accumulates in landfills because it is hard to recycle. Almost all building components, from wall panels replacing conventional bricks, ceilings, to water piping systems, use recycled materials,” said Fifi. She added the project proves that waste previously considered worthless can be processed into useful construction materials while providing a solution to reduce waste generation. “The use of residual waste is part of the solution to reduce waste volume while delivering better infrastructure and educational facilities for future generations,” she said. The construction of SDN 3 Sukanegla is expected to become a model for applying the circular economy concept in the education sector and to encourage the use of environmentally friendly materials in public facility development. Besides supporting improved quality of learning facilities, the innovation is also expected to raise public awareness regarding the importance of waste management and sustainable environmental conservation.