Why Food Waste Isn’t Just a Technical Problem

In many traditional markets, including Pasar Kosambi, food waste is often viewed as a logistics issue: a lack of bins, limited infrastructure, poor enforcement.

But our field research told a different story.

What we were seeing wasn’t a failure of infrastructure. It was a mismatch between solutions and the everyday behaviors of the people meant to use them.

Asking Better Questions

At Gizalab, we believe that sustainability is not just a technical problem. It’s a design problem — rooted in human behavior, community systems, and social norms.

So instead of asking:

“What technology can we build to reduce food waste?”

We asked:

“How can we get people to sort waste — consistently, together?”

Designing for the Daily Reality

We used three lenses to explore the challenge:

• Human-Centered Design to uncover the lived experiences, routines, and frictions of vendors and waste officers.

• Systems Thinking to map how institutions, policies, and power structures interact in the market environment.

• Theory of Change to guide how small shifts can scale into meaningful, sustainable impact.

And through this approach, BALAREA Eduhub was born.

BALAREA: A Platform for Behavioral Shift

BALAREA stands for Bangun Langkah Ramah Lingkungan, Edukasi Asik — a behavior change strategy designed specifically for traditional markets like Kosambi.

But BALAREA is not a campaign. We focus on human — where the actors, not the tools, are the heroes.

Vendors as Change Agents

In the market, vendors hold the most influence. If they sort waste, others will follow which is the buyers that are uncontrollable in the market environment. But how do you nudge a busy vendor who’s more focused on selling than sorting? you make it social.

Kapten BALAREA: From Officer to Hero

Meet Kapten BALAREA. Kapten is a redefined waste management officer — now seen as a consistent, trusted presence in the market. They guide, reward, and inspire. They create visibility, not just enforcement.

Through Kapten, we turned waste sorting into a community ritual — one where compliance becomes pride, and pride becomes culture.

Gerobak BALAREA: A Moving School in the Middle of the Market

To support learning and conversations, we designed the Gerobak BALAREA — a mobile, foldable cart stationed right in the heart of the market.

Each unit includes:

• A mini café corner where informal conversations can happen over coffee

• Local memes, posters, and card games that educate through laughter

• A reward system linked to a social campaign: #BalareaPilahManfaatkan

The gerobak or cart isn’t just an information booth. It’s a gathering place. A cultural stage. A low-pressure space where learning happens organically.

The first version of Balaréa Eduhub. This version optimizes the space inside the Kosambi Market’s hall. Later after a mentoring session, we realize this eduhub took too many spaces and not modular enough. It is hard to pack and unpacking if they need to mobilize. We need simpler and compact solution.

This version of eduhub took the inspiration from Indonesian’s famous Angkringan Cart. We realized that every time the vendor need to mobilize, they simply pack all of the things such as the bench, the curtain and etc, to dock and stick to the main cart.

Who is it for?

• Market vendors

• Local waste officers

• Community members

• Local governments, NGOs, and brand sponsors

What’s the change?

• Cleaner public spaces

• Pride in waste sorting

• New social norms rooted in consistency, not coercion

How is it sustained?

BALAREA runs on a hybrid funding model:

• CSR sponsorships for gerobak units

• Branded merchandise and game kits featuring Kapten BALAREA

• Training for new Kapten roles across markets

Every component is designed to be customizable — adaptable to other markets or community centers across Indonesia and beyond.

Gizalab is a digital product design agency who have focus on sustainability and Circular Economics issue. We believe design can elevate and give added value to the green missions. Need a creative partner to help your green projects? Be it website and app development, graphic and content design or industrial design. Contact us through info@gizalab.co