Playing While Saving: Financial Education through a Waste Bank and Happy Piggy Bank in Lok Tuan, North Bontang, East Kalimantan

Bermain Sambil Menabung: Edukasi Keuangan melalui Bank Sampah dan Celengan Bahagia di Kelurahan Lok Tuan, Bontang Utara, Kalimantan Timur

Abstract

Lok Tuan is the most densely populated urban village in Bontang City, East Kalimantan, situated near a large state-owned fertilizer industry. Household plastic waste and low community financial literacy remain persistent challenges in the area. This community service program introduced a gamified waste bank named “Ubah Sampah Jadi Berkah” (Turning Waste into Blessing), in which residents who collected three medium-sized plastic bottles could spin a wheel containing six basic-necessity prizes and six blank slots. The activity ran for four days and was also integrated into a city-level women’s volleyball tournament to widen public reach. In total, the program collected 22 kilograms of plastic waste, which was subsequently handed over to the Bontang City Environmental Agency (DLH). A companion financial literacy activity for elementary school students, “Celengan Bahagia,” introducing the habit of saving from an early age, was also carried out as part of the same theme. The results show that the play-based incentive scheme significantly increased public participation, particularly among children, and effectively conveyed the message that sorted waste holds real economic value. The program demonstrates that combining environmental and financial education through participatory games can be an effective community engagement strategy.