Evaluation of Organic Waste Inflow to Urban Recycling Centers: A Case Study of Cirebon City Towards Circular Economy Integration

¹ Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
² Studies Program of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Swadaya Gunung Jati University, Cirebon, Indonesia
³ Department of Environment, Faculty of Environmental and Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia
⁴ Agribusiness Studies Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Swadaya Gunung Jati University, Cirebon, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Organic waste management remains a major challenge in sustainable development, especially in urban areas such as Cirebon City. Recycling Center (RC) plays a strategic role in supporting waste reduction and the implementation of a circular economy This study aims to evaluate the flow of organic waste into the Cirebon RC based on secondary operational data and purposive semi-structured interviews with four stakeholders from the Waste Management Division of the Environmental Agency (EA). The method used is descriptive qualitative with analysis of waste intake reports and qualitative findings from interviews. Initial results show that the volume of organic waste entering the RC is dominated by household waste and traditional markets, with a relatively consistent monthly pattern. However, several obstacles were identified, including limitations in sorting at the source, a lack of public education, and suboptimal further processing, such as composting. This study confirms that although the RC has contributed to reducing waste to landfills, the existing system still needs to be improved to be in line with the principles of the circular economy, which emphasize waste reduction, reuse, and sustainable recycling.