Development of a Participatory Solid Waste Management System to Enhance Health and Reduce Environmental Impacts: A Case Study in Wanon Niwat District, Sakon Nakhon Province

Abstract

This study employed a research and development approach integrated with participatory action research. It was conducted in Ban Don Sawan, Village No. 8, Wanorn Niwat Subdistrict, Sakon Nakhon Province, with the aim of developing and evaluating a participatory solid waste management system in the community. The research process consisted of five phases: (1) assessing community problems and context, (2) collaboratively designing the system with the community, (3) implementing the system, (4) monitoring and evaluating the outcomes, and (5) summarizing lessons learned and scaling up the system. The study participants were 179 household representatives, and a census method was used. The research instruments included a general information questionnaire and assessment tools measuring knowledge, attitudes, and waste management behaviors. The overall reliability of the instruments, assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was 0.89. Data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, and paired-samples t-tests.

The findings showed that the participatory solid waste management system developed in this study was appropriate to the community context. Before implementation, participants had moderate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and waste management behaviors (M = 5.83, SD = 1.74; M = 3.21, SD = 0.54; and M = 2.98, SD = 0.62, respectively). After implementation, knowledge increased to a high level (M = 8.74, SD = 1.08), while attitudes and behaviors also increased to high levels (M = 4.31, SD = 0.48 and M = 4.05, SD = 0.52, respectively). The mean scores for all three domains were significantly higher than those before implementation (p < 0.001). In addition, the proportion of households practicing waste segregation increased from 38.55% to 81.56%, while open waste burning decreased from 52.51% to 18.44%. The developed participatory solid waste management system enhanced community members’ knowledge, attitudes, and waste management behaviors, reduced environmental impacts, and could be sustainably applied as a model for solid waste management at the community and local administrative organization levels.