Utilising Maggots to Manage Organic and Inorganic Waste
A Community-Led Innovation Case Study from Indonesia
The Waste Management with S3R System Innovation was designed and implemented by Forum Komunikasi Winongo Asri (FKWA), based in Kricak Village in Yogyakarta City, and led by Ms. Endang Rohjiani. A team of five innovators — one woman and four men — with skills in community organizing and advocacy, environmental engineering, water resource management, agricultural sciences, environmental advocacy, and specialized maggot management, came together to develop an innovation utilizing maggots to manage organic waste in an area plagued by overfilled landfills that are at risk of blocking rivers and causing landslides.
Kricak Village, in the Tegalrejo Sub-District, has a population of 12,975 inhabitants. FKWA discovered a lack of awareness among residents when it comes to environmentally friendly and sustainable waste management, with the team’s research showing that 67% of the waste dumped into the local Piyungan Landfill of Yogyakarta — and the nearby rivers — is organic waste wrapped in plastic, leading to the overfilling of the landfill, and damaging of riverbanks and beds, and resulting in the potential for man-made natural disasters. Accordingly, FKWA developed a multi-layered solution: the creation of a system for breeding waste-decomposing maggots that can be used to manage organic waste at the individual family scale, or in large waste-management facilities.
FKWA, under Ms. Endang’s leadership, sought not only to implement the waste management programme to reduce the risk of environmental disaster, but also to educate the community about how to respect nature, use more environmentally friendly approaches, and implement the maggot solution in their own homes and families. Furthermore, FKWA saw the maggots as an income-generating activity to enable economic independence and sustainable business development, as they can be used in far more activities than just waste decomposition: the maggots are suitable for fish and poultry feed, vegetable fertilizer processes, and cosmetics products, to name just some potential markets. This is an innovative approach, both in working to solve an existing problem (the overfilled landfill and levels of plastic in the rivers) in a new way using local knowledge, and in finding new ways to apply this local knowledge about maggots to new markets to generate economic sustainability.
FKWA developed the maggot-based innovation to provide an inclusive income generating opportunity for vulnerable groups, including women, the elderly, and people with disabilities who struggle to leave their homes. By sharing household scale management systems with these community members, the innovation contributes to improved environmental status and the reduced risk of landslides and floods. It also helps to support the economic independence of vulnerable groups, who can sell excess maggots while also managing their waste at home in a more sustainable manner. FKWA seeks to change the community mindset, realizing a future for the community that cares for the environment and considers more sustainable and circular approaches to waste management.
Mrs. Endang of FKWA shared that the idea for the innovation came from the community: a professor at a local university first suggested the use of maggots to control organic waste. Then she and the team further developed the idea based on the critical issues she saw facing her community:
“After further research, I thought this could be a good idea for IDEAKSI, since we can also generate some income and hopefully be able to support our organization in conducting environmental activities, including the effort to avoid disaster in our village, which is prone to landslides during the rainy season. Partly because it’s located near the river and it was a former final landfill for Yogyakarta City, its soil therefore contained a lot of plastic.”
During the innovation development process, FKWA worked with YEU to refine the proposal, determining that some additional funding beyond the main grant amount was needed for two key components. Mrs. Endang shared:
“During the proposal approval process and referring to our discussion with the YEU team, it turns out that our innovation needed additional funding for two important parts for the innovation. The first one was to conduct a survey to identify potential organic waste supply, and the second one was to draft a clear business plan to ensure long-term business sustainability. For the first one, we received additional funding from YEU of IDR 4 million (USD $250), and for the second one, we received funding of IDR 3 million (USD $200) from YEU. This is separate to the IDR 85 million (USD $5,600) we received for our initial proposal.”
In the long term, FKWA doesn’t just seek to improve community approaches to waste management and reduce the amount of organic waste in the landfills and rivers, they also aim to strengthen the riverbanks and restore the soil in and around the innovation area to reduce the risk of floods and landslides, and to create income-generating opportunities for more community members.
FKWA has had a clear vision for their innovation, and they have made great progress toward realizing their goals. However, they have faced some challenges along the way. While indeed an innovative approach to disaster risk reduction, this initiative could be classified as a social impact business innovation rather than a purely social change or humanitarian innovation: it is the economic potential that drives the possibility of social change. Accordingly, FKWA must address both the social and business aspects of their innovation, ensuring sustainability and feasibility on multiple levels. The team has successfully implemented the maggot harvesting facility for organic waste management. They have also taken steps to secure the innovation’s economic sustainability by signing a contract with a local buyer of maggots to sell 200kg of maggots weekly, as well as by developing strong relationships with local fishermen who regularly buy maggots for bait. They have also provided 180 households with family-size management buckets. However, getting public buy-in for family waste management has been more difficult than expected, as some community members find the maggots unpalatable. This has also been a barrier in getting community members — particularly children — to participate in the educational activities. Furthermore, a leak in the warehouse and one of two processing machines breaking down greatly hindered production capacity, leading to a major hurdle in achieving the innovation’s full potential.
Difficulties faced by the innovators demonstrate the need for supportive programs such as IDEAKSI and the CLIP, which enable and strengthen innovators, rather than extractive programs without support systems or safety nets — as well as highlighting the uncertainties in scaling and growth plans. However, FKWA and the maggot innovation remain strong, and they are once again moving forward to spread environmentally friendly organic waste management systems across the community — and beyond.
The Community-Led Innovation Partnership is a joint initiative between Elrha, Start Network, Asia Disaster Reduction and Response Network, Asociación de Servicios Comunitarios de Salud in Guatemala, Center for Disaster Preparedness in the Philippines, and Yakkum Emergency Unit in Indonesia, which supports the emergence and development of locally-driven solutions to humanitarian problems. It is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
This case study forms part of the CLIP Programme Evaluation 2020–2023, undertaken by Catalystas Consulting in March 2023.
Evaluators: Judith Vollebregt, Aviva Stein, Paula Kantor and Sofía Paredes.
Contributors: Arya Bagus, Alejandra Gonzalez and Jemiema Dagadas.
