Waste Residues Management for Community Empowerment base on Sufficiency Economy

Abstract

The study on Community Waste Residue Management is an applied research with participative action research techniques. It aims to study the composition of community solid waste, management behavior, utilization of waste materials, solid waste collection system around Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, and storage system, including guidelines for appropriate waste material management for the community. The sample group in the survey consisted of the community in Hiranruchi Sub-District, Thonburi District, Bangkok 9. The community has 309 people, 4 groups of recyclable waste searchers/buyers (tricycles or Sa-Leng), and the representatives of the cleaning staff group from Thonburi District Office working at three waste collection points, three, an in-depth interview sample group of stakeholders and committees from 6 communities, six people each, 36 people in total, and a sample group that transfers activities to personnel and students of Sahabumrung Wittaya School, 35 people in total. Waste elements were separated three times at three areas and the community forums were organized, including 6 sessions of focus group discussion with stakeholders and the surveys and designs of waste material collection/storage areas, model community, media campaigns, and workshops. The tools used in this survey consisted of the Quartering technique, questionnaires, in-depth interview forms, and community forums, including conducting content validity tests to perform quantitative and qualitative data analyses using descriptive statistics, t-test, and content analysis.

          The results showed that an average of 15% of the composition of waste materials in the surrounding communities is recyclable waste, mostly plastic, followed by glass and paper respectively. The wastes were collected and stored by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority’s hydraulic compactor trucks at three areas: 1) Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University; 2) ​​the Shrine at Ban Khaek Intersection; and 3) Wat Yai Sri Suphan. About three percent of the garbage was collected for sale by the garbage-collecting tricycles. Most of the communities understood the necessity of solid source waste management and were willing to join the campaign, if any agency conducts a survey and develops a process that creates tangible values. The researcher has discovered three appropriate operational approaches, that is, recyclable waste sorting activity, waste artefact activity, and recyclable waste bank activity. These activities require a participatory process, a public relations process, an educational process, an operation process, and an evaluation process. The total return estimated from the amount and components of all the recyclable materials was approximately 750 baht/day. Other communities will adopt the appointment system and contact external waste buyers. However, two waste collection centers could be established. According to the results of the workshop aiming to transfer the guidelines for managing community recyclable materials based on Sufficiency Economy, it was found that the achievement result increased significantly (p< 0.05). Wat Pradittharam’s Community Recyclable Waste Management Committee was established to perform activities in accordance with the developed handbook. The monitoring of its performance revealed that the amount of source waste to be disposed from the pilot households could be reduced by approximately 50%