Manggarai Selatan Transforms Organic Waste into Planting Media Using 'Biowash'

The Manggarai Selatan Urban Village in Tebet District, South Jakarta, is transforming organic waste into planting media using a fermented liquid derived from leftover fresh fruit peels and vegetable scraps, known as ‘biowash’. ‘Biowash is the result of fermenting leftover fresh fruit peels or vegetable scraps mixed with a special microorganism liquid or starter (Promic) and is a quick way to convert organic waste into more useful planting media,’ said Manggarai Selatan Village Head Sri Nurwiyanti in Jakarta on Wednesday. Sri explained the production method involves mixing one kilogramme of organic waste from fruit peels or fresh vegetable scraps with 200 grammes of Promic starter and five litres of water, then leaving it to sit for three days. Once fermented, the liquid can be used at a ratio of one to thirty, meaning one litre of biowash liquid is mixed with 30 litres of water. ‘Currently, the production process is still carried out at the village office,’ she said. The organic waste used for production comes from residents who bring their organic waste directly to the village office, as well as from food stalls around the area, to be processed into biowash on-site. Sri added that they have also been socialising information about biowash at every meeting, with the hope that residents or PKK cadres can produce it themselves in their own homes. ‘The hope for the future is that through this method, we can manage organic waste into planting media in our area more quickly. Its utilisation for plants is also easier, and eventually, the results of this method could also provide economic value for the community,’ she said.