Green Collaboration, Islamic Boarding Schools And CCEP Indonesia Realizes Santri-Based Waste Management

JAKARTA The Boarding School and Community Development Association (P3M) together with the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Indonesia launched the Waste Management Program in Islamic Boarding Schools as an effort to create a cleaner and more sustainable environment. The initial stage of this program includes 10 Islamic boarding schools in five provinces on the island of Java, with results that include training and providing waste management facilities.

The Director of P3M, KH Sarmidi Husna, emphasized that environmental issues were part of the struggle of the previous ulama. "If in the past we fought against the invaders, now we are fighting against environmental issues," said KH Sarmidi. He added that P3M took the initiative to raise environmental issues in society and Islamic boarding schools through this program.

KH Sarmidi explained that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) at the NU Congress in Cipasung 1994 had determined that polluting the environment, whether air, water, or land, the law was haram. The perpetrators of pollution can be considered as criminals (jinayat), and they are responsible for repairing or replacing the environmental damage caused, "he said.

The problem of waste in the pesantren environment is increasingly urgent to deal with because it has a negative (young) impact. In Islamic teachings, there are rules of ad-dhararu yuzalu which means that danger must be eliminated. Therefore, serious efforts in waste management are part of environmental jihad.

In this program, a waste management team has been formed in Islamic boarding schools and villages, which number 75 people. They are trained to have an understanding, knowledge, and skills in waste management. In addition to training, this program also produces an effective and sustainable waste management system in pesantren. Infrastructures such as bins, composite houses, as well as supporting facilities such as sorted bins have also been provided, "added KH Sarmidi.

Since October 2024, P3M has carried out various activities in this program, including workshops, discussion forums (FGD) in 10 Islamic boarding schools, as well as the delivery of waste transportation equipment and tablets to support waste management. "The total number of participants involved in this activity reached 1,400 people," he said.

Director of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability CCEP Indonesia, Lucia Karina, emphasized that her party focuses on educating waste sorting and recycling PET packaging. We want to create a recycling ecosystem that involves students, Islamic boarding schools, and the surrounding community, and supports the target of collecting 100% packaging by 2030," Karina said.

According to him, the problem of waste is a shared responsibility, not just companies or the government. "Pesantren has an important role as a leader and role model for the community in dealing with environmental problems," he continued.

With the tagline GELAR BUMI (Gerangan Santri Lestarikan Bumi), this program includes 10 pesantren, namely:

With this collaboration, it is hoped that students and the surrounding community can be more aware of the importance of good waste management and contribute to maintaining environmental sustainability.