Development of Waste Management Model on Main Roads in Samutsakhon Province

Abstract

This participatory action research aimed to develop a model for garbage management on main roads of Samutsakhon province and to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. There were five steps of research process consisting of (1) research project preparation, (2) problems and requirements analysis, (3) development of the plan (4) implementation of the plan, and (5) evaluation. Participants of the study were randomly selected from 3 stakeholders in each community: (1) representatives from local administrative organizations, (2) village health volunteers, and (3) environmental health officers from 40 sub-districts of Samutsakhon province. Data were collected by document analysis, in-depth interview, observation, and creative power technique; and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Content analysis was used for qualitative data. The results showed that the requirement for garbage management on main roads consisted of (1) participatory team building (2) joint study on requirements and needs, (3) development of garbage management project which included the following essential components: promotion of multi-sectoral par ticipation, integration of garbage management activities with provincial cleaning campaign, and enhance ment of knowledge on waste management and garbage sorting in villages/schools/communities based on readiness of each locality, (4) practice of PAOR (Plan–Act–Observe–Reflect) process in project imple mentation and improvement, and (5) evaluating of the model. It was found that after the project implementation, garbage bin areas and the vicinity were more tidy and clean with no residual waste. The garbage collection system was improved; and local personnel were aware and satisfied with the activities. All processes happened as a result of multisectoral participation leading to continuity and sustainability of garbage management along the main roads of Samutsakhon province.