UNDIP, Semarang (May 28, 2025) – In a campaign to promote global environmental awareness, Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) student Felicia Hestiawan, along with international students from Poland, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan, organized a collaborative activity on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. The event, centered on creating eco-bricks as a creative solution for managing plastic waste, was held at the Sumurboto Village Office Hall in Tembalang District, Semarang City, and included both discussion and hands-on workshops on eco-bricks production as a practical response to plastic pollution.
Felicia Hestiawan partnered with members of the Sumurboto village women’s community group (PKK) in an educational initiative titled “From Plastic to Action.” The program aimed to raise awareness—particularly among housewives—on managing plastic waste by producing eco-bricks: plastic bottles tightly packed with non-organic, non-recyclable plastic waste.
The event opened with a presentation from Felicia highlighting Indonesia’s plastic waste crisis and the country’s limited waste management systems. “With eco-bricks, we not only lessen the burden on the environment but also create added value from household waste,” she explained.
Faculty advisor Maal Naylah, S.E., M.Si., firmly supported and praised the initiative. “Training communities to process household plastic waste into value-added items like eco-bricks—used as stools or even as brick replacements—is truly an inspiration,” she said. “And with active PKK participants, the impact can be even greater as they pass on this knowledge to their neighborhood groups.”
Following the educational session, the participants joined in the hands-on portion, learning about the required materials, how to pack plastic into bottles tightly, and how to meet quality standards for eco-bricks. The enthusiasm among the PKK members was shown as they worked together, and the collected eco-bricks were immediately put to use to build simple stools for community activities. The session concluded with reflections, messages of support, and group documentation. It marked a meaningful close to a day of learning and collaboration.
This initiative is expected to spark a wider community-based movement to reduce plastic waste while also strengthening the bond between students and residents in building a cleaner and more sustainable environment. (Public Communication/UNDIP/Felicia H)
