Digital Platform for Driving the Buddhist Zero Waste Community under Circular Economy Concept

Abstract

The objectives of this research are as follows: 1) to develop a digital database for management towards the zero waste Buddhist community under the circular economy concept; 2) to devise a digital platform to drive the management towards the zero waste Buddhist community under the circular economy concept; 3) to construct a model of the zero waste Buddhist community under the circular economy concept, i.e. the Ban Pom Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province; and 4) to establish a network for the zero waste Buddhist communities under the circular economy concept in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. The study used an action research method to collect qualitative data from Thailand's nine model zero waste communities via in-depth interviews with 27 key informants. The collected qualitative data were used to develop a body of knowledge for developing a digital platform and establishing a model community. There was a call for volunteers from 108 interested households, and they registered to participate in waste management activities based on the 3Rs using a digital platform. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data. The qualitative data were gathered from 15 volunteers who took part in a purposive group discussion, as well as 9 members of the network community who came together to share their knowledge and support the activities. Content analysis was used to examine the qualitative data, while descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation, were used to analyze the quantitative data.

The findings revealed the followings: 1) In developing the digital database for management towards a zero waste Buddhist community under the circular economy concept, there are three databases for such purpose: (1) the digital database on waste management in nine model communities, (2) the digital database on waste management knowledge, and (3) a digital database that included the Buddhist aspects, detailing the development of a community into a zero waste on website https://www. bcgbbymcu.com; 2) In devising a digital platform to drive the management towards the zero waste community under the circular economy concept, the researchers found that the digital platform Line BCG has been used for its waste management knowledge based on the 3Rs principle function, the waste volume record function, and the household and community waste report function; 3) A model of the zero waste Buddhist community under circular economy concept is comprised of the following bases: Base 1: Open Mindedness, Base 2: Participation and Understanding (Precepts), Base 3: Commitment and Determination (Concentration) which consists of five activities, and Base 4: Friendly Guidance (Wisdom). The evaluation revealed that two communities, 108 households, had correctly separated the types of waste, recorded the amount of waste, earned income from the sale of waste, and cleaned the front of their houses and the community; 4) In establishing a network for the zero waste Buddhist communities under the circular economy concept, there are two groups of networks: (1) the support and promotion network, which includes temples, schools, and the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association (Ayutthaya Rescue), and (2) the learning exchange network, which includes the Ban Pom Subdistrict Community, the Phu Khao Thong Subdistrict Community, and the Samphao Lom Subdistrict Community.