One of the important things in managing a tourism village is how to handle its waste without handing it over to other people or villages. Well, it’s what the Pinge tourism village management is intensively doing. “We continuously improve to strengthen global competitiveness. This is the effort we have made to maintain the natural environment in order to remain beautiful by processing organic waste into economic value,” said the Head of the Pinge tourism management, AA Ngurah Arimbawa, on Thursday (Dec. 31).

In the waste handling, the management collaborates with an educational institution, namely the Bali State Polytechnic to provide training in making organic waste treatment tools in the form of composter. Waste processing starts from sorting organic and non-organic waste in each household kitchen. Such waste sorting in household is very helpful for management of tourism village to reduce plastic waste at the village which is well known to tourists. “We are greatly facilitated by the assistance of household kitchen organic waste storage by the Bali State Polytechnic,” he said.

Besides, homestay business players are also given training on the making of liquid and solid organic fertilizers from cooking scraps or kitchen waste, so that inorganic and plastic waste are properly segregated in each household. This will make it easier to handle plastic waste at Pinge village. “We are still testing this kitchen waste processing in several households. Hopefully, in the near future all kitchens will start sorting waste from households, so that tourism village management will be relieved in handling waste. Now, kitchen waste does not need to be thrown out because it can be processed to produce liquid and solid organic fertilizer even though it is on a small scale,” explained Agung Arimbawa.

Meanwhile, Representative of the Bali State Polytechnic, Prof. I Putu Astawa, stated the Bali State Polytechnic supports the realization of Pinge as a quality tourism village. One of them is by making efforts to keep the natural environment beautiful by processing organic waste in order to have economic value. In addition to preparing facilities and infrastructure, this is also accompanied by providing training in making organic waste treatment tools in the form of composter. “The training involved 30 heads of families who have homestay accompanied by the head of the management,” he said.

According to him, the skill is very important to support homestay owners in maintaining cleanliness and utilization of the yard as natural tourism. The concept changes where the former dirty backyard now becomes a beautiful and economically valuable nature. The results of this waste treatment will reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, and use organic fertilizers. “We are very proud because of the high enthusiasm of the community in attending the training to make and utilize waste for field needs other than for the home yard,” concluded Prof. Astawa. (BTN/015)