Yogyakarta residents implement organic waste management through maggot cultivation

In the Cokrodiningratan sub-district of Yogyakarta, approximately 60 households have adopted a program called ‘Permak Jas Kamal’ to manage organic waste using black soldier fly larvae, known as maggots. Launched in 2025, this initiative empowers residents to process kitchen waste at home, reducing the volume of organic matter sent to disposal depots while providing an additional source of income.

Unlike communal waste management systems that require centralized land, this household-based approach prevents odor issues in densely populated areas. The harvested maggots are sold to collectors, who then supply them to livestock farmers. Currently, participating households harvest between 50 and 70 kilograms of maggots every two weeks.

Simultaneously, waste sorting groups such as the Pengok Depot in Yogyakarta are facing high demand for organic waste to be used as fish feed. While these groups process around 500 kilograms of organic waste every two days from households and restaurants, they struggle to meet the needs of local fishing pond operators, who have requested up to 70 buckets of organic waste per week.