BERGAS KIDUL, SEMARANG REGENCY — A student’s dedication to community service does not always have to take the form of large-scale programs. Sometimes, a contribution that appears simple can deliver real and lasting impact for the people it serves. That is exactly what Diva Dwi Putri Octaviani, a student of the Shipbuilding Construction Engineering Technology (TRKP) program at the Vocational School of Diponegoro University, demonstrated through her individual work program as part of the Thematic Community Service (KKN-T) 29 UNDIP in Bergas Kidul Village.
When she first arrived at the location, Diva encountered a condition that posed a significant challenge for the staff of the Srumbung Hamlet Waste Bank. Waste brought in by residents was still mixed together without any prior sorting — plastics, paper, metal, and organic waste all piled together in a single container. As a result, the staff had to re-sort all the waste before the weighing process could begin, consuming considerable time and energy. From that finding, Diva identified that one of the most practical and immediately applicable solutions was the provision of informative, durable waste category labels placed strategically throughout the Waste Bank area.
Diva carried out the design process with careful attention to several technical aspects, including the visibility of the labels from the staff’s line of sight, the readability of the category information, and the suitability of the placement in relation to the Waste Bank’s existing workflow. This is where her academic background as a Shipbuilding Construction Engineering Technology student played an important role. Her ability to read spatial layouts, understand area requirements, and determine the functional positioning of elements — skills commonly applied in the context of ship design and maritime construction — she brought to bear in planning the placement of labels throughout the Waste Bank area. The result was labels that did not merely serve as markers, but genuinely functioned as operational guides integrated into the day-to-day activities of the Waste Bank.
“The installation of these labels is hoped to assist the staff in the sorting process, so that the types of waste collected can be more easily identified before weighing takes place,” said Diva.
The response from the Srumbung Hamlet Waste Bank staff was overwhelmingly positive. The presence of the labels was seen as helpful in enabling staff to recognize and place different types of waste in a more organized manner. The installed labels are expected to remain useful on a long-term basis, not only during the KKN period, but also well after the community service program concludes.
Diva’s individual work program is itself part of the Multidisciplinary Program 1 of KKN-T 29 UNDIP, which focuses on the revitalization of Waste Bank management and community-based waste handling through the 3R principles — Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The program brings together students from various academic disciplines who collaborate to deliver comprehensive solutions to waste management challenges in Bergas Kidul Village.
Through this initiative, Diva demonstrated that meaningful contributions do not always require significant resources. More than simply installing labels, the activity is also hoped to encourage a shift in community behavior — motivating residents to begin sorting their waste at home, thereby reducing the workload at the Waste Bank and contributing to a more orderly approach to environmental management as a whole. A small step, carrying a far greater hope.