An Integrated Model for Circular Waste Management Using the Internet of Things, Semantic Web, and Gamification (Circonomy): Case Study in Indonesia.

Background: The problem of how to deal with waste is a global issue all countries face. Like many developing countries, Indonesia has inadequate infrastructure to process the extremely high volume of waste produced throughout the country and minimal public participation in proper waste management. Although the Indonesian government regulates waste banks as a community-based waste management solution, there is a lack of integrated technological innovations to support waste banks. This study fills the gap by developing Circonomy, a model combining Internet of Things, gamification, and semantic web technologies to advance community-based circular waste management.

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop Circonomy as a circular waste model that integrates an Internet of Things-based smart bin, semantic web, and gamification as an innovative technological solution.

Methods: We identified the problem by observing Indonesian waste banks at 3 locations in Jakarta and Yogyakarta to define and design Circonomy. The Circonomy prototype was developed using the Design Science Research Methodology and evaluated based on technical performance and user experience. The technical performance has three indicators: bin capacity accuracy with a minimum of 80% precision, bin lid response time <5 seconds for a minimum of 80% of trials, and data transmission success rate of at least 80%. The user experience metric has two indicators: a minimum of 80% reporting high usability and ease of use, and at least 80% of users reporting that they feel more motivated using the prototype than the traditional waste bank. We selected 10 random participants aged 18-60 years to perform a user experience evaluation of our prototype.

Results: The Circonomy prototype demonstrated sound and stable performances related to technical performance and user experience. Circonomy achieved at least 80% technical performance accuracy, comparable to industry standards. The accuracy problem lies in the placement of the ultrasonic sensor. The waste should be placed directly under the ultrasonic sensor to ensure the bin's capacity measurement accuracy. The user experience testing results from 10 participants indicated that Circonomy has excellent user engagement, and 100% felt motivated by gamification and 80% found the mobile app easy to use.

Conclusions: The testing results showed that Circonomy has acceptable performances for early-stage prototyping, with at least an 80% accuracy rate in technical performance and user experience. This ensures that Circonomy operates effectively in real-world conditions while remaining cost-efficient and scalable. For future development, Circonomy will prioritize enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sensor-based occupancy detection through improved sensor placement, the integration of multiple sensors, and an exploration of alternative technologies for regions with limited IT resources. In addition, more gamification features such as challenges and quizzes should be added to improve user experience and motivation.