The creativity of students from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) participating in the Off-Campus Learning Program (PLK) has once again been demonstrated through a simple yet impactful innovation. A PLK team in Menden Village, Kebonarum District, Klaten Regency successfully transformed shallot peel waste into environmentally friendly liquid organic fertilizer (POC) with practical value for the local community.

The initiative was inspired by the abundance of household kitchen waste in the form of shallot peels, which had previously been discarded without proper utilization. Through a simple and applicable scientific approach, the students introduced a solution for managing organic waste by converting it into a useful agricultural product for household farming activities.

In the program implementation, the students conducted educational sessions and hands-on training for local residents on how to produce liquid organic fertilizer from onion peel waste. The process involved natural fermentation methods using easily accessible materials, allowing residents to independently reproduce the fertilizer at home.

Besides reducing household organic waste, the innovation also offers economic and environmental benefits. The liquid organic fertilizer can improve soil fertility and support more sustainable home gardening practices while reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers.

The activity also aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly: SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

Residents of Menden Village welcomed the program enthusiastically because it provided practical knowledge that could be directly applied in their daily lives. Through this initiative, UNY students demonstrated that small-scale innovations based on local environmental issues can create meaningful impacts for sustainable community development.