UMS Empowers Kartasura Women to Transform Used Cooking Oil into Aromatherapy Candles

The Community Service team from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) successfully initiated the establishment of a Housing Association Waste Bank while also delivering innovative training to transform used cooking oil (jelantah) into aromatherapy candles. The empowerment program targeted housewives in the Babussalam Grand City residential complex in Kartasura District, Sukoharjo Regency, on Sunday (7/6/2026).

This strategic step was taken as a concrete commitment by the UMS academic community and local residents toward creating a residential area that is clean, environmentally friendly, and economically self-sufficient.

Head of the UMS Community Service Team, Rezania Asyfiradayati, S.K.M., M.P.H., stated that the program focuses on addressing household liquid waste that has long been carelessly disposed of, contaminating clean water channels. Through proper education, this domestic waste has proven to be recyclable into products of real value.

"Used cooking oil can be utilized as a material in the making of aromatherapy candles. Through this community service, the effort to reuse waste that was previously just thrown away can result in candles that can be used in each household, or even generate an economic impact that residents can feel," said Rezania, who is also a lecturer in the UMS Public Health program.

Group photo from the community service activity at Babussalam Grand City residential complex, Kartasura District, Sukoharjo Regency, June 7, 2026. 

During the training session, the housewives were invited to practice the entire production process firsthand. The process began with clarifying the used cooking oil using natural materials, followed by filtering, mixing with a hardening agent (stearin), adding color, and finally adding essential oils in various calming therapeutic aromas.

The resulting aromatherapy candles serve not only as an alternative lighting source or room fragrance, but also carry high market value potential.

The activity received an overwhelming response and enthusiasm from the housing residents. Many of them only then realized that kitchen waste they had previously considered environmentally harmful could in fact be transformed into an aesthetically pleasing product that generates financial returns.

"The used cooking oil candle training has been extremely valuable knowledge for us. With this, residents are committed to continuing the program so that our residential area can become an example of a community that is self-sufficient in managing its waste," said one local resident representative.

Through the synergy between the establishment of the Housing Association Waste Bank and the aromatherapy candle innovation, Babussalam Grand City in Kartasura is now ready to transition into a model low-waste, environmentally friendly residential area.

Writer: Fika Annisa’ Sholihah

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid