A Community Empowerment Model for Source-based Organic Waste Reduction in a Secondary City, Banjarbaru, Indonesia

Abstract

Secondary cities in developing countries face increasing pressure on municipal waste systems due to limited infrastructure capacity and high organic waste fractions. While decentralized organic waste management has been widely promoted, empirical medium-term evidence demonstrating measurable and sustained impacts at the household level remains limited. This study evaluates a six-month community empowerment intervention involving 30 households in a secondary Indonesian city. The intervention integrated environmental literacy, flexible low-cost treatment technologies, repeated facilitation, and neighborhood-level institutional reinforcement. A paired pre–post design was applied to assess changes in household organic waste entering the municipal collection system. Statistical analysis included paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, effect size estimation, and 95% confidence interval calculation. The intervention produced a statistically significant reduction of 52.30% in household organic waste generation, equivalent to a mean decrease of 1.71 kg per household per day (95% CI: 1.50–1.91; t(29) = 16.78, p < 0.001). The effect size was exceptionally large (Cohen’s d = 3.06), indicating substantial and sustained behavioral adaptation rather than short-term compliance. Behavioral interpretation was informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework and supported by qualitative observations. Findings demonstrate that source-based organic waste reduction can function as a scalable socio-technical micro-governance strategy in infrastructure-constrained urban contexts. The integrated four-layer empowerment model provides a replicable framework for secondary cities seeking low-cost, behavior-centered waste management solutions. The study reframes decentralized organic waste treatment as a governance mechanism capable of producing quantifiable environmental outcomes rather than merely a technical intervention.