Transforming Kitchen Waste into Biogas through Community Empowerment in Petamburan

Abstract

Dense urban settlements face limited organic-waste treatment capacity, inconsistent household waste sorting, and insufficient skills in operating biogas technology. This community engagement program aimed to strengthen the capacity of residents of Neighborhood Unit 009, Petamburan, Central Jakarta, to convert kitchen waste into energy and organic fertilizer. The program involved community outreach, hands-on training, technology deployment, mentoring and evaluation, and sustainability strengthening. Twenty-three residents participated, and five were appointed as local operators. A 1,400-L digester was installed and initially charged with 200 kg of fresh cow manure as the microbial inoculum, followed by the gradual addition of sorted kitchen waste. The mean waste-sorting knowledge score increased from 72.61 to 100.00, while the biogas-technology score increased from 71.88 to 93.62. Slurry was first collected during the second week, and methane-containing biogas was detected during the fourth week. Integrating appropriate technology, practical training, standard operating procedures, an operational logbook, and resident-led management improved community knowledge and operational readiness.