When the government is deemed to have failed to handle the waste problem, then the community takes over.  While most existing literatures on waste management is associated with government program, less attention is paid to self-sufficient waste management. This article deals with this.

This study was conducted in Desa Majannang, Maros Regency. Those who participated in this study are village head, community leaders, and village community themselves. We triangulated in-depth interview, observation, and focus group discussion as our data collection methods.

The study shows that the existence of garbage dump in the village is a dilemma. While people need garbage dump for garbage disposal, they refuse to have it to avoid bad smell since the garbage pick-up is often late due to limited number of garbage trucks. To solve this problem, the community agreed to handle their own waste transport by paying a monthly fee. However, only a few are committed to it, others assume that such payment can be handled using village funds (dana desa). Meanwhile, village funds cannot be used for such purpose, just as the Village Head have no power to compel them to do so. As a result, waste management is carried out self-sufficiently. Some throw their trash into the sewers when people are asleep, expecting the rain to wash away the garbage; but generally they dig holes for garbage disposal in their respective yards, expressed by the phrase “dig a hole cover a hole”. While organic waste is thrown into the garbage pit, non-organic waste is burned since burning is considered as a way to reduce the size of the garbage. Some burns their garbage in other parts of the house yard, others burn in the garbage hole. Thus, instead of using the organic waste into fertilizer, they mix them with non-organic waste in one hole.