Market Access And Social Inclusion: The Dual Role Of Digital Marketplace And Ai-Based Image Recognition (Trashcash) In Converting Household Waste Into Income Streams For Urban Marginalized Homemakers

Jovan Diego Benedictus Situngkir; Johanes Enda Panahatan Simorangkir

Authors

Jovan Diego Benedictus Situngkir Politeknik Siber dan Sandi Negara, 16120
Johanes Enda Panahatan Simorangkir Politeknik Siber dan Sandi Negara, 16120

Keywords:

Digital Marketplace, Image Recognition, Social Inclusion, Circular Economy, Homemakers

Abstract

Indonesia faces complex socio-economic challenges, where high volumes of domestic waste coincide with the persistent economic marginalization of Homemakers in urban areas, who are often excluded from formal income sources. The lack of equitable access to formal recycling chains and the unrecognized economic value of domestic sorting contribute to this obstacle. This study aims to analyze how the dual intervention of TRASHCASH, a platform integrating AI-Based Image Recognition and a Digital Marketplace, functions as a mechanism for social conversion transforming household waste into a stable source of cash-flow, while simultaneously enhancing the social status and economic inclusion of Homemakers in dense urban settings. Employing a qualitative approach using a case study method, data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and narrative analysis of Homemaker participants using TRASHCASH. The findings emphatically show that the Digital Marketplace plays a crucial role in providing price transparency and transaction certainty, which directly reduces the economic vulnerability of these Homemakers. Furthermore, the role of AI in standardizing sorting cultivates self-confidence and social recognition for the Homemakers’ competence, proving that previously invisible domestic work is now converted into recognized economic activity. It is concluded that this social-tech model has significant potential to address structural inequality and act as a catalyst for economic justice and gender empowerment within the context of sustainable development.

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