Perceived Helpfulness of Automated Waste Sorting in Indonesia Is Associated with Pickup-Service Reliability and Waste-Sorting Behavior

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Abstract
Digital technologies are increasingly proposed to improve waste management, yet their uptake depends not only on technical feasibility but also on how people perceive their usefulness under existing service conditions. This study uses a quota-based online survey of 1,000 adults across 33 province-level fielding strata to examine the perceived helpfulness of automated waste-sorting technology in Indonesia, with the Papua region grouped into one fielding category. The main outcome variable captures respondents’ ordered ratings of whether automated sorting would help them, ranging from very unnecessary to very helpful. The analysis combines descriptive statistics, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), chi-square tests, Cramer’s V, and Pearson residual analysis to explore how perceived helpfulness is associated with sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported waste practices, and everyday service conditions. Overall, 69.7% and 20.2% of respondents rated automated sorting as very helpful and helpful, respectively, while 7.7% and 2.4% rated it as neutral and unhelpful, respectively. Perceived helpfulness was generally higher among younger respondents, those who were already engaged in waste sorting, and those who reported more reliable pickup services. Exploratory MCA results suggested recurring patterns linking favorable perceptions with active sorting behavior and more reliable service contexts, whereas less favorable perceptions were more common where pickup reliability was uncertain or weak. These findings suggest that public receptivity to automated waste sorting in Indonesia is associated not only with attitudes toward technology but also with the quality of routine waste services. The results should be interpreted as exploratory evidence from an online quota-based sample rather than as a nationally representative estimate of technology acceptance.