The Implementation of Character Building to Improve Resident Participation in Waste Management

Abstract

Household waste commonly dominates the municipal waste composition, indicating a vital role of residents’ participation in solving waste problems. Various efforts have been made to encourage resident’s participation. However, many approaches implemented cannot keep participation sustainable. Previous studies showed that educating residents through nurturing moral values is influential in improving waste management behaviour. Meanwhile, the moral value becomes the core of character building, implying that character building could have a role in resident-based education to enhance waste management behaviour. In fact, character building can change individual behaviour sustainably. Thus, this study aimed to figure out the possibility of implementing character building to nurture sustainable waste management behaviour and investigate how character-building was implemented. Using a case study approach, we explored a resident-based education in Neglasari, Bandung, Indonesia, that implemented moral value as the educational strategy. This study found that some primary activities were conducted to transfer moral value. The learning activities were focused on nurturing moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral action as central components of character building. However, implementing character building seemed to take time and required iteration to get a sustainable change in the behaviour. Nevertheless, it is worth to continue to gain significant benefits.