Waste Management in Indonesia Survey, 2023

Indonesia faces one of the highest rates of plastic waste leakage globally, with only 39% of waste collected and over 6 million tons annually contaminating ecosystems. Despite national targets to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025, progress is hindered by complex social, behavioral, economic, and infrastructural challenges across the archipelago’s 17,000 islands. To address these systemic issues, a multi-disciplinary research initiative was launched to investigate the root causes of plastic pollution and inform sustainable interventions.

As part of this effort, a comprehensive dataset was collected from 506 residents across four communities in East Java (Rogojampi and Blimbingsari) and Bali (Jembrana and Mendoyo). The survey captured 96 variables using structured Likert-scale questionnaires. Participants were asked a range of questions covering 7 sections: 1) how and why they manage waste items in certain ways; 2) perceptions on how their local community manages their waste; 3) their self-reported connections with their local community, and 4) nature; 5) perceived impacts of plastic pollution; 6) where they gather their information / main communication channels; and 7)) sociodemographic details.

This dataset provides critical insights into the behavioral and cultural dimensions of plastic use and disposal, offering a foundation for modeling plastic flows and identifying intervention points.