Tala-Tala Pine Forest is one of the tourist areas in Maros Regency. In various tourist areas, waste left by visitors is very common and has become a continuous problem. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry reported that 72% of the Indonesian population does not care about waste. The beauty of the pine forest is polluted by the waste left by visitors, especially plastic waste. The habit of visitors throwing plastic waste in this tourist area is quite worrying because it affects forest degradation and environmental sustainability in this area. This article will discuss how the community handles plastic waste left by visitors in the area.

This research was conducted in the Pinus Tala-Tala forest tourism area, BontoManurung Village, Tompobulu District, Maros Regency, which is the target area of ​​Maros Muslim University. Data were collected using interview and observation techniques. Interviews were conducted with forestry extension workers, pine forest managers, and communities living around pine forests.

The study indicates that the existence of pine forests is quite a dilemma and raises concerns. On the one hand, the pine forest is profitable as a tourist destination. On the other hand, visitors leave garbage problems in the pine forest area. But problems are also caused by pine forest managers because instead of managing the waste, they prefer to throw garbage into the surrounding river. As a result, the river becomes polluted, thoughit is included in the upstream Maros watershed area. As one of the solution, the community has taken the initiative to process plastic waste into something that is not only useful, but also has economic value, by converting plastic waste into eco-paving blocks. Accordingly, waste is not only properly treated, but also generates income for the community, supports environmental quality improvement in tourist areas, and protects the upstream Maros watershed.