Seven Depok Subdistricts Develop Maggot-Based Waste Management

Community-based organic waste management is showing results in Depok City, West Java. By June 2026, a maggot cultivation programme across seven subdistricts had processed more than 100 tonnes of household organic waste, produced 9.7 tonnes of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) maggots, and contributed to a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 325 tonnes of CO2e. The programme involves more than 60 families in the subdistricts of Jatijajar, Sukmajaya, Depok Jaya, Limo, Meruyung, Tanah Baru, and Jatimulya. Originating from a pilot project in 2024, organic waste management through maggot farming has evolved into a model replicated in several areas of Depok City. PT Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk, together with Biomagg and the Depok City Government, is expanding the programme by building a maggot house in Depok Jaya Subdistrict. Similar facilities were previously established in Jatijajar and Sukmajaya as centres for cultivation and education on organic waste management. Head of Corporate Communication and External Relations at Garudafood, Dian Astriana, stated that the construction of the maggot house is a continuation of a community empowerment programme that has been running since 2024. ‘The Garudafood Maggot House was established as a sustainable community empowerment programme through a Creating Shared Value (CSV) approach, generating shared benefits for the community, the environment, and the company,’ Dian said in a press release on Wednesday (22/7/2026). In addition to inaugurating the maggot house, the event included BSF maggot cultivation training and experience sharing among assisted groups to strengthen the capacity of new groups in managing cultivation independently. Dian said the company plans to expand the Maggot Entrepreneurial Village programme to other areas. The company is also preparing to develop the maggot ecosystem through cultivation and derivative products, such as animal feed and organic fertiliser. ‘We cannot do this alone. Support from the subdistrict and district governments, technical assistance from Biomagg as a supporting partner, and most importantly, the enthusiasm of residents, are the main keys to the sustainability of this programme,’ she said. The head of the Depok Jaya maggot cultivation group, Hadijah, said her group learned from an assisted group in Limo Subdistrict before receiving mentoring from Biomagg and Garudafood. ‘Initially, we gained knowledge from the assisted group in Limo Subdistrict, until we were later introduced to Biomagg and received support to establish this maggot house. Our first harvest successfully recorded 20 kg of maggots,’ she said. This community-based waste management model demonstrates that the maggot cultivation approach not only contributes to reducing organic waste generation but also opens up business opportunities for the community through the utilisation of cultivation yields and their derivative products.