UMY develops BSF maggot technology to process campus organic waste

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) is developing an integrated organic waste processing innovation utilising Black Soldier Fly (BSF), or maggots, as an effective solution for decomposing food waste on campus.

The Head of the Sub-directorate of Sustainable Infrastructure at UMY, Ferriawan Yudhanto, stated in Yogyakarta on Thursday that wet organic waste from cafeterias and campus business units has long presented a significant management challenge. The use of BSF maggots is considered the most appropriate approach to address this issue through biological and innovative means.

“Wet organic waste is the most difficult type of waste to manage. Therefore, we are developing processing using BSS maggots. Eventually, all food scraps from the canteen and various business units within the campus environment will be processed into maggot feed,” said Ferriawan.

In addition to utilising maggots, UMY also consistently processes dry organic waste, such as leaves and plant trimmings, into compost. The resulting compost is then reused to support greening efforts and vegetation maintenance throughout the campus area.

“Sorting must begin with ourselves. By separating wet and dry organic waste at the source, we can handle each waste characteristic using the appropriate processing method. Leaf waste is processed into compost, while food scraps are managed via BSF maggots,” he added.

“We want to demonstrate that universities play a role as agents of change. What we implement on campus does not stop here, but can be adapted by the community to create a cleaner and more sustainable environment,” he said.

As part of a broader green campus development, UMY also continues to implement policies restricting single-use plastics in cafeterias, utilising solar energy, and planning the operation of electric shuttle buses to reduce carbon emissions within the university environment.