An article by Luh De Suriyani, Bali Daily.

Leftover religious offerings can be turned into something useful in the hands of creative local people in Bali.

During major Hindu celebrations like Galungan, used sesajen (offerings) usually pile up on the streets and in waste disposal areas benefiting those who create various products out of this organic waste.

On Tuesday, Endang was seen searching for remnants of coconut amid heaps of garbage. The woman noted the days when there would be more sesajen leftovers, including one day before Galungan, when Balinese Hindus usually clean up their shrines and temples and remove used offerings.

“It is getting more difficult to get leftovers of coconut, since scavengers also hunt for it. They know it could be valuable,” she said.

Therefore, she preferred to buy from garbage banks in the city. “I make copra out of the coconut leftovers and sell it as a raw material to produce cooking oil.”

The weather has been extremely hot in the city during the past few days, making it easier for her to dry the coconut meat. She then sells the copra to a cooking oil producer in Ubung, north of Denpasar.

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