Community-based recyclable waste segregation for sustainable waste management under the low-carbon community: A case study of the Saleng Delivery program in Saensuk Municipality, Chonburi, Thailand

Municipal solid waste management constitutes a significant yet frequently underrecognized source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rapidly urbanizing developing economies. Thailand exemplifies this issue, exhibiting a per-capita waste generation rate of 1.14 kg per person per day, which exceeds the updated global mean of 0.88 kg per person per day. The country has also adopted a strengthened climate commitment under NDC 3.0 (October 2025), advancing the national net-zero target to 2050 and aiming for a 47% net emissions reduction by 2035 relative to a 2019 baseline. Community-based waste segregation programs offer a promising, socially integrated approach to landfill diversion and the transition toward a circular economy. This study evaluates the GHG mitigation effectiveness and social value of the “Saleng Delivery” program, a community-led recyclable waste collection initiative implemented by Saensuk Municipality, Chonburi Province, Thailand (October 2023 to July 2024). Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were quantified using the methodology outlined in Thailand’s Low Emission Support Scheme (LESS-WM-01, Version 6). During the study period, 38,793.1 kg of recyclable materials were collected in six categories, resulting in a total GHG reduction of 66.64 tCO₂eq. Paper recycling contributed the greatest emission reductions (65.28%), while glass dominated by collected weight (59.97%). An exploratory SROI analysis, based on estimated proxy values rather than stakeholder-derived valuations, returned a preliminary ratio of 2.88:1, indicating 2.88 Thai Baht (THB) of combined environmental, economic, and social value per THB invested; this figure should therefore be interpreted as indicative rather than definitive. Program outcomes were mapped against six UN Sustainable Development Goals within an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework using an Input–Output–Outcome–Impact-New Finding logic model. The findings demonstrate that community-based segregation programs can serve as effective, measurable components of national EPR systems. Importantly, the material-specific variation in carbon mitigation efficiency suggests that EPR fee structures should incorporate GHG-reduction potential, rather than weight alone, as a formal pricing criterion. These results offer transferable policy insights for upper-middle-income economies navigating the intersection of waste management and climate action.