Integrating Waste Management & Circular Economy: Building a Community-Based Greenpreneur Ecosystem Evidence from the Manava Foundation Program in Indonesia

Abstract

Community-based waste management is an important strategy for reducing municipal waste, yet many initiatives struggle to generate sustainable economic outcomes because waste management activities rarely evolve into viable community enterprises. This study examines how community-based waste management can transform into a circular economy ecosystem through entrepreneurship and market integration. An embedded mixed-methods case study was conducted on the Jaga Bumi Program implemented by the Manava Foundation in Greater Bandung, Indonesia (2024–2025). Data were obtained from monitoring records of 15 community groups, business performance of 18 Greenpreneur Academy participants, program documentation, and longitudinal observation of six groups. The findings identify five interconnected mechanisms: waste management innovation, community capacity building, greenpreneur incubation, value creation, and market integration. Communities diverted 78.7% of waste from final disposal sites, while 15 of 18 enterprises achieved positive profits after incubation. Business performance depended less on waste volume than on the ability to create value-added products and access markets through Jaga Bumi Ecomart. The study proposes the Community Circular Economy Value Chain Model as a framework integrating community empowerment, entrepreneurship, value creation, and market integration.