PARTISIPASI PEMULUNG DALAM PEMILAHAN SAMPAH DI TPA SUPIT URANG KOTA MALANG

Sustainable waste management requires the active participation of all societal
elements, including waste pickers who play a direct role in the waste sorting
process. However, in practice, the involvement of waste pickers often remains
passive and lacks substantive influence. This study aims to evaluate the level of
participation among waste pickers in the waste sorting system at the Supit Urang
Final Disposal Site (TPA) in Malang City, using the framework of the Ladder of
Citizen Participation. The research employed a qualitative approach through indepth interviews with three groups of informants: waste pickers, landfill staff, and
stakeholders (landfill managers and the Environmental Agency). The findings
reveal that waste picker participation predominantly falls at the manipulation
stage, characterized by limited access to policy information, inadequate technical
training, and the absence of a role in decision-making processes. Furthermore, the
relationship between waste pickers, landfill staff, and stakeholders remains
hierarchical and top-down, where waste pickers function merely as implementers
without meaningful opportunities to contribute. These results indicate that efforts
to enhance the effectiveness of waste management must include empowering
waste pickers by improving access to information, providing continuous training,
and establishing more inclusive and collaborative participation mechanisms