Improving Waste Sorting Compliance with Cost-effective Solutions

THE PROBLEM

Indonesia is grappling with a severe waste crisis, generating 64 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with 3.2 million tonnes ending up in the ocean. Overcrowded landfills and poor waste management have exacerbated the issue, resulting in 35 landfill fires in 2023. Suwung, Bali's largest landfill, receives 800-850 tonnes of waste daily, underscoring the urgent need for effective waste management.

Household waste sorting plays a vital role in alleviating this burden. While our previous experiment with an incentive and sanction system showed promising results, it proved to be costly. We are now exploring more cost-effective solutions to encourage waste sorting.

THE SOLUTION

Kopernik will conduct a field experiment to promote better waste-sorting practices by using posters and applying social norms through messages sent to users. These messages will include scores that allow users to see their waste-sorting performance and the average score of their neighborhood. This experiment will be supported by the Griya Luhu app to ensure low implementation costs.

THE EXPECTED IMPACT

Social norms will encourage people to adopt better and more consistent waste sorting at the household level due to peer influence, leading to improved waste management practices. Additionally, posters will provide valuable information to help users sort their waste correctly. By using the app, we will significantly reduce the need for expensive incentives.