Empowerment Program on Natural Soap Production from Used Cooking Oil at Pimpinan Ranting ‘Aisyiyah Tamanan

Abstract

Household waste, particularly used cooking oil, is often improperly disposed of, causing environmental pollution and reducing water and soil quality. This community service program aimed to improve the knowledge and skills of members of Pimpinan Ranting ‘Aisyiyah Tamanan, Bantul, Yogyakarta, in utilizing used cooking oil as an environmentally friendly natural soap. The activity involved 21 participants and was conducted using a participatory approach combining counseling and hands-on training. The program included education on the environmental impact of used cooking oil, purification techniques, and practical training on natural soap production through the saponification method using simple household tools and affordable materials. Evaluation results showed a significant improvement in participants’ knowledge, where understanding of the reuse potential of used cooking oil increased from 33.3% to 100%, knowledge of soap production increased from 19.0% to 100%, and willingness to try making soap increased from 9.5% to 100%. In addition, 100% of participants agreed that the training materials were easy to understand and provided new business ideas. Most participants (81.0%) expressed interest in applying the skills independently at home, primarily for household use, while some participants showed interest in developing small-scale entrepreneurial opportunities. This program demonstrates that appropriate technology-based training can support sustainable household waste management while empowering communities to create environmentally friendly products with economic value.