The 75 Group of FISIP UB Real Work Lecture (KKN) conducted KKN activities in Tumpakrejo Village, Malang Regency. During the visit, the main problem was found, namely used cooking oil waste.
Used cooking oil is often found in people’s homes as waste with chemical content that cannot be recycled. In Tumpakrejo Village, household waste is often disposed carelessly by the community and this can cause environmental pollution. However, household waste such as used cooking oil can actually be turned into an interesting innovation.
Therefore, the 75 Group of FISIP UB KKN came up with an innovation, namely aromatherapy candles from used cooking oil which can reduce household waste and can increase the economic income of residents in Tumpakrejo Village because they can create a product that can be sold.
The problem of household waste such as used cooking oil in Tumpakrejo Village gave rise to a creative innovation program from KKN Universitas Brawijaya students, namely making aromatherapy candles that are easy to make by women in Tumpakrejo Village.
In the aromatherapy candle making program, UB students provided counseling to all mothers in Tumpakrejo Village regarding the dangers and benefits of used cooking oil, July 13, 2024.
Not only providing material, students also provided practice related to making aromatherapy candles. The students showed the process of making candles starting from filtering used cooking oil to cooling. The procedure consists of collecting used cooking oil, filtering oil, cleaning oil, mixing ingredients, heating, pouring into mold containers to the cooling and hardening process.
The materials needed in the candle making procedure are also easy to obtain in Tumpakrejo Village such as used cooking oil, bleaching earth, paraffin, stearin, crayons, essential oils, wicks, and glass cups. In addition, the students also showed the appearance of the ready-to-sell packaging for aromatherapy candles to the women of Tumpakrejo Village.
During the activity, the women were very enthusiastic to participate in the socialization given by the students from Universitas Brawijaya by paying close attention.
“The program is very interesting, the results can also be marketed to increase the income of the mothers in Tumpakrejo Village,” said Winarmi, PKK Cadre Pokja Satu.
The program held by Universitas Brawijaya students greatly supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the use of used cooking oil in reducing household waste. This activity allows women in Tumpakrejo Village to improve their economy and business opportunities by making aromatherapy candles that can be traded, so that mothers can utilize the remaining used cooking oil in their homes to be produced into aromatherapy candles. (*/UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
