Household behaviour and the waste management of residential areas in Jakarta, Indonesia

This study analyses the solid waste management in high and low-income residential areas of Jakarta, Indonesia. The focus was to identify households’ behaviours with regard to solid waste management and the factors influencing them. A total of 117 questionnaires were randomly distributed to households in Kelapa Gading and Warakas, two residential areas of different income groups. Results of descriptive and inferential analyses indicated that there were behavioural differences between the two high and low income areas. For the lowincome (Warakas), it was proved that there was a significant relationship between income and community awareness with regard to waste reduction, waste separation, recycling activities (3R method) and composting. Educational factors also showed a significant relationship here with the communitys’ knowledge of solid waste regulation. As for the high-income group (Kelapa Gading) a significant relationship existed between education and the habit of throwing waste in their own curbside. The implication of this study is that a good solid waste management system does not come by itself but needs the involvement of all parties concerned, in particular, members of the local public as the waste generators and the government as the policy makers.