From Fallen Leaves to Fertile Ground: Gunawan’s Practical Waste Solution

Smart ideas often start with small observations. For Gunawan Parihat, the spark came from something most people sweep up without a second thought. Dry leaves were piling around a manufacturing premise in West Java, creating an untidy corner of a well-run facility. Burning them or paying a third party to collect them had long been the routine, although neither option sat comfortably with him.

Providing real solutions for customers

Gunawan, a cleaning team leader at one of OCS Indonesia’s manufacturing customer sites, has worked in the industry since 2006. His responsibility is to keep the site clean and safe. Yet he tends to look beyond daily tasks, searching for what could work better. The leaf problem kept returning, so he began to ask what could be done with the waste rather than simply removing it.

Determined to improve the process, Gunawan proposed a compost system and built the first bin himself using leftovers materials from the facility. Old barrels, pipes, a drill and saw were all he needed, with the hard services team lending an extra pair of hands when required. The set-up cost almost nothing, though the value became clear soon after.

Once the bin was in place, Gunawan collected the dry leaves and combined them with fermented microorganisms and a simple mix of molasses made from sugar water. The blend keeps the pile moist enough to break down naturally. It is not a complicated method, but it does require care. Gunawan checked it daily, adjusting the mixture and turning the contents until the leaves slowly transformed.

Sustainability from mind and action

A month later, he had roughly four kilograms of compost. The customer saw its potential immediately and began discussing additional bins for other parts of the site. The compost now feeds the ornamental plants around the facility, giving once dull patches of soil a fresher look.

This wasn’t Gunawan’s first initiative into sustainability. At home, he composts household waste and runs a small waste bank, encouraging neighbours to sort and recycle. He is also involved in an environmental community in his local area. For him, sustainability is practical, not theoretical.

Respect earned through action

His efforts recently earned him the TRUE Star Award in the Respect category, recognition he views more as encouragement than a finish line. He continues to look for improvements, often guided by a simple belief: “The best people are those who bring the most benefit to others.”

Gunawan hopes the composting initiative will expand further across OCS sites and become a shared approach rather than a personal project.

From fallen leaves to fertile soil, his work demonstrates that thoughtful action, even on a small scale, can shift habits and create change that lasts.