Students from the Public Administration Department, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Diponegoro University, who are part of the Team II Community Service program (KKN)  for the 2023/2024 academic year, have demonstrated their dedication and creativity by successfully completing a Monodisciplinary Work Program titled “Collaborative Governance: The Success of Waste Management in Bansari Village.” This program was held on July 24, 2024, with a major event called “Sampah Inyong, Tanggung Jawab Inyong” (“My Trash, My Responsibility”), hosted at the Bansari Village Hall. The event not only attracted the attention of residents from every hamlet in Bansari Village but was also attended by various local village officials.

Background and Objectives of the Program

Bansari Village has long faced complex waste management issues. Despite various efforts, the results have not been optimal. One of the main problems identified was the lack of coordination between the village government, community groups, and other related parties. The absence of collective awareness about the importance of effective waste management worsened the situation, resulting in fragmented and unsustainable efforts.

With this background, UNDIP Public Administration students formulated a work program based on collaborative governance, a concept that emphasizes the importance of cross-sector cooperation and active participation from various stakeholders to achieve common goals. In the context of waste management, this approach aimed to create better synergy between the village government, the community, and other stakeholders, so that waste management could be carried out more effectively and sustainably.

The program also introduced a more structured waste sorting system, with the hope of improving waste management starting at the household level. Additionally, educational activities on recycling and reusing were conducted to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills (TPA). One significant achievement of this program was the increased community awareness of the importance of responsible waste management. This was reflected in the growing participation of residents in environmental clean-up activities and the village government’s commitment to continue supporting the program even after the Community Service Program (KKN) ended.

Marshelia Kristiani, a UNDIP Public Administration student as the driving force behind the work program, hopes this effort can be an inspiration for other villages facing similar problems and serve as the first step for Bansari Village to develop a sustainable waste management system.