“Trash Hero” Innovation for Inclusive Development Workshop: Baan Takhian Ram School in Sisaket Province
By Anastasia Sylvia, Henriette Kamphorst, Ma Khaw Lwe, Parppim Pimmaratana, Vinissa Kattiya-aree, Wasurat Suwattanadeja, and Thinh Mai Phuc
Thailand’s ‘3R Strategy’ of reducing, reusing, and recycling aims to induce the transformative change necessary to become a circular economy, especially in plastic value chains. However, rural areas can often be left behind in such development projects. This also goes for their lack of inclusiveness in waste management innovations that are so prominently featured in Thailand’s capital such as waste separation and recycling stations. As students participating in the International Development Studies Program (MAIDS) at Chulalongkorn University we recognise that inclusive growth means it is important to take into account communities which have been denied the access to these opportunities. Through the program’s Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) course, led by Prof. Carl Middleton, we were able to explore the possibilities of using ‘design thinking’ as a tool to co-create innovative solutions together with the community that stands to gain equitable share in the benefits of the development.
The IID Team partnered with Baan Takhian Ram School in Sisaket province in Eastern Thailand around 500km from Bangkok. Not like any other school, Baan Takhian Ram is part of the Thai government’s Education Sand Box initiative which prototypes innovative learning systems such as Brain-based learning (BBL) and Project-Based Learning (PBL) and it has been doing so successfully for 7 years. Their learning system is divided into 4 quarters per semester where the focus lies on four core subjects: Mathematics, English, Thai Language and PBL. In PBL segments students are taught to approach complex issues in 9-week projects rather than through learning by heart for examinations. These projects usually integrate subjects such as Science, Social, Art, or Music and engage students in a creative and interactive manner.
It came to the attention of the team that Ban Takhian Ram school had just finished a PLB segment specifically on waste separation and upcycling. Despite the school’s best efforts in including plastic waste management in their curriculum, they are subject to the local government not investing in a central waste management system and thus cannot enjoy the benefits of having by default trash stations at their school. It was therefore our goal to provide the school with the necessary means for the students to incorporate what they learned into their daily lives. In order to ensure inclusive development and that the school’s needs are adequately met, the IID team used the 5-step process of Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
Together with the school’s teachers and principal the IID team learned that Baan Takhian Ram school was in need of (a) trash bins to separate their waste and (b) needed an alternative solution to burning or burying the large amount of dry leaves and trash gathered every day on school grounds. Through multiple meetings and brainstorming sessions the team combined their ideas with suggestions from the teachers and students to create a unique solution fitting the time frame and resources at hand.
Covering the school’s need for trash separation bins, the IID team co-created a waste separation station prototype that would fit with the amount and type of waste produced. This resulted in 10 stations to cover all school buildings with a setup of three clear bins for: general waste, recycling, and paper waste. In order to dispose of organic waste sustainably it was concluded that a composting station would benefit the school the most as the curriculum projected sustainable agriculture as an upcoming PBL course. Knowing that the students are already familiar with the nature of interactive learning in PBL, the idea of organising the “Trash Hero” workshop was born.
On 2nd of April 2021 the IID team, together with Baan Takhian Ram school, organised a 1-day workshop for 125 students from grade 7 to 9. The students were divided into three groups and sent to three different workshop stations and would rotate every hour. One station was led by a local instructor from the district’s agricultural centre where students learned how to do fermented composting using microbes specifically for dry organic materials, such as the leaves lying around the courtyard. The second station involved students learning how to make brooms sustainably using coconut shafts. The third station upgraded their upcycling skillset by introducing the art of basket weaking using plastic strips. The students enjoyed the teachings of local instructors for the entire workshop and were able to learn various ways how to incorporate sustainability in their daily lives and especially for their school’s waste management system.
If this IID project has shown anything, it is that innovation does not necessarily have to emerge in the form of high-tech, state of the art, expensive solutions. In innovation for inclusive development marginalized communities actively shape the solutions to meet their needs allowing them an equitable share in the benefits of the development. While the trash separation stations and the workshop do not sound innovative at first, it needs to be stressed that in a context where traditional institutions and systems are lacking change does not happen overnight and small steps need to be taken to ensure that no one is left behind during the big leaps of development.