The Role of Traditional Knowledge and Local Values in Community-Based Waste Management in Small Islands: A Case Study of Penyengat Island

Environmental Sciences, Postgraduate, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: khodijah@umrah.ac.id

Abstract

This study aims to determine the correlation between local knowledge and values and the effectiveness of community-based waste management.. This study uses quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sampling points were divided into four clusters representing the four sides of the island by interviewing 97 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using correlation analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that local knowledge and values significantly affected the effectiveness of waste management, which was visualized with heatmaps. The strength of the color shows visualization; the redder, the more substantial and more positive the value, and the color’s intensity reflects the correlation’s magnitude. The strongest correlation analysis of knowledge factors on effectiveness is shown by the continuity variable with a value of 0.50, and the weakest correlation is community involvement with a value of -0.17. Then, the strongest correlation between local values and management effectiveness is shown by the sustainability value variable and general knowledge value with a value of 0.76, while the cultural practice value and the importance of values with a value of 0.55 show the weakest correlation. The research findings conclude that community-based waste management intervention strategies, especially in small island areas, can make good practices of traditional knowledge sustainability values and local values of local communities the main consideration so that waste management can be more effective.