Evaluating Community-based Interventions in Waste Management: A Difference-in-differences Panel Data Analysis in the Context of SDG 11 and SDG 12

The randomised controlled trial (RCT) on three groups of 162 domestic helps was done using the difference-in-differences m to check the effectiveness of the intervention for waste segregation at source. The area of study included a residential society in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The groups consist of 52 domestic helps without any intervention but informing them about the mandatory requirement of waste segregation, 63 domestic helps using non-financial nudge-awareness sessions and leaflets on waste segregation at source, and the final group consists of 47 domestic helps getting incentives on the basis of scores of waste segregation. The period of study is June–August 2025 (three months). The results of the study reveal that any type of intervention (financial or non-financial) creates more impact than just giving the mandate for waste segregation (only 2.8% behavioural change in the control group relative to baseline). The provision of incentives for waste segregation is responsible for a substantial change (48% improvement) in comparison to non-financial motivators. Educated/literate domestic helps are more responsive towards financial incentives, while the size of the family does not make any impact. The control group showed no significant trend over time. At baseline, both intervention groups already had substantially higher outcomes than the control group. Neither intervention produced statistically robust additional gains relative to the control at endline.