<![CDATA[The Free Nutritious Meal Program (Program Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) is a government effort to improve students' nutrition in schools. While the program helps students eat better, it also generates organic waste every day, including food scraps and kitchen leftovers. If not managed, this waste can harm the environment. This study examines how MBG waste can be converted into compost, an environmentally friendly fertilizer. The research took place from June to October 2025 in three public junior high schools in Surakarta City, Central Java, Indonesia, involving 540 students from grades 7 to 9. The study focused on food leftovers from MBG meals and included waste sampling, sorting, composting, and lab analysis. Results showed that most of the waste came from carbohydrates such as rice and pasta (about 35–50%), followed by vegetables (about 14–25%). On average, each student produced 115.78 grams of food waste per day, which could add up to about 1,169.8 tons of food waste daily from junior high school students across Indonesia. The compost made from MBG leftovers had 1.19% N, 2.42% P₂O₅, and 0.24% K₂O, meeting SNI 7763:2024 standards. It has high organic matter content, neutral pH, and adequate availability of micronutrients. In terms of safety, the microbiological contamination test results indicated excellent quality. Both Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. were detected at levels below 3 MPN/g. These findings show that MBG waste can be turned into organic fertilizer, helping schools manage waste and support sustainable agriculture. Keywords: composting, environmental management, organic waste, school meal program, sustainable agriculture]]>
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