Community participation in household solid waste reduction in Surabaya, Indonesia

The goal of this study was to examine the community participation in household solid waste (HSW) reduction and the influencing factors in eastern Surabaya. The research was conducted in three districts, namely Sukolilo, Rungkut, and Tenggilis Mejoyo. The HSW sampling for SW composition analysis was performed over eight consecutive days. Survey concerning community involvement in HSW reduction was conducted in 300 households using stratified random sampling technique. The questionnaires were distributed during HSW sampling for generation rate and composition measurements. Results of this study showed that average HSW generation rate in eastern Surabaya was 0.33 kg/capita/day. The HSW composition was dominated by food waste (64.19%), followed by plastics (10.79%), paper (9.24%) and used diapers (6.97%). The socio-economic characteristics had less influence than the supporting factors on sorting, recycling and composting activities. This study suggested four strategies to support the community participation on HSW reduction in eastern Surabaya. These strategies were: to intensify the HSW reduction training programs; to intensify the information dissemination through mass media and campaign; to increase the number of environmental cadres; and to optimize the existence of waste bank and its function.