Wonosobo, January 30, 2026 — Teodora Septina Sambarana, an undergraduate student of the Archaeology Study Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) currently undertaking a Community Service Program (KKN) in Sapuran Village, Wonosobo Regency, Central Java, has proposed the application of garbology studies to uncover community behavior patterns related to waste management. This approach treats waste as contemporary artifacts that accurately reflect consumption habits.
Garbology originated from the Tucson Garbage Project, pioneered by William Rathje in 1973. The research revealed that people discard around 10 percent of the food they purchase and consume alcohol at levels two to three times higher than reported in surveys. “Waste is more honest than surveys,” Teodora emphasized, quoting Rathje & Murphy (2001).
Sapuran Village, which holds strong potential for cultural tourism amid its lush natural environment, faces challenges due to low public awareness of proper waste management. Plastic waste, beverage bottles, and household refuse are frequently dumped into rivers, forming layers of modern waste that risk triggering landslides and pollution. “Garbology studies can identify current consumption patterns, prevent waste accumulation, and help protect the village’s historical sites,” she explained.
At the national level, Indonesia generates 68 million tons of waste annually (Ministry of Environment and Forestry, 2025), with 46 percent of rivers polluted. The Bantar Gebang Landfill receives around 8,000 tons of waste per day, while the Citarum River absorbs 15,838 tons daily, making it one of the most polluted rivers in the world (World Bank, 2023). In Sapuran, dumping waste into river basins degrades ecosystems and passes on serious health risks to future generations.
Garbology methodology involves classifying waste into 35 categories, including organic matter, plastics, and metals, using excavation techniques with 1.5 × 1.5 meter grids. Rathje’s studies in the 1980s found that snack food packaging dominated waste deposits, indicating excessive consumption often unacknowledged by survey respondents. “This approach is more accurate than subjective surveys,” Teodora added.
Garbology is inherently prescriptive. Waste analysis can serve as the foundation for waste-sorting training programs, the establishment of waste banks, and the development of recycling-based social enterprises, targeting a 30 percent reduction of waste in river basins and 70 percent community participation. If left unaddressed, today’s waste could become a form of disaster archaeology site in the future.
By comparison, prehistoric European communities left behind kjøkkenmøddinger (kitchen middens) around 10,000 BCE, which reveal their consumption patterns, while traditional Indonesian waste was largely biodegradable and naturally decomposed into fertilizer. Industrialization has drastically altered this dynamic, making early waste segregation a crucial step toward sustainability.
