Program Desa Merdeka Sampah merupakan salah satu program yang diinisiasi Pemerintah Kabupaten Tegal dalam mengatasi permasalahan sampah. Indikator yang menyebabkan permasalahan oleh sampah disebabkan karena ketidakpedulian dan ketidaktahuan masyarakat terhadap pentingnya pengelolaan sampah. Program Desa Merdeka Sampah kemudian dihadirkan untuk mengentaskan permasalahan tersebut. Pelaksanaan program dalam masyarakat tidak dapat dilepaskan dari partisipasi masyarakat. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat partisipasi masyarakat dalam pelaksanaan Program Desa Merdeka Sampah di Desa Ujungrusi, Kecamatan Adiwerna, Kabupaten Tegal. Adapun rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini yaitu bagaimana partisipasi masyarakat dalam pelaksanaan Program Desa Merdeka Sampah di Desa Ujungrusi dan dampak dari pelaksanaan Program Desa Merdeka Sampah.
Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif. Adapun jenis penelitiannya adalah penelitian lapangan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui proses observasi, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis melalui reduksi data, penyajian data dan penarikan kesimpulan. Sementara itu, teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisis fenomena pada penelitian ini adalah teori Fungsionalisme Strukturalisme AGIL tokoh Talcott Parsons.
Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa (1) pelaksanaan program Desa Merdeka Sampah di Desa Ujungrusi melalui tiga tahapan, pertama tahap persiapan yang dilaksanakan sosialisasi, pembentukan KSM, pencairan dana dan pelatihan pengelolaan sampah. Kedua tahap pelaksanaan program yang meliputi kegiatan pemilahan sampah, pengumpulan sampah dan pengelolaan sampah. Ketiga tahap pendampingan pelaksanaan program Desa Merdeka Sampah. (2) Partisipasi masyarakat Desa Ujungrusi terhadap program Desa Merdeka Sampah yaitu keikusertaan masyarakat dalam kegiatan sosialisasi, pelatihan pengelolaan sampah (kompos, eco enzym, kreasi sampah) dan kegiatan bank sampah. Menurut konteks AGIL partisipasi yang dilakukan masyarakat sebagai bentuk penyesuaian atas sistem baru dalam pengelolaan sampah yang diinisiasi Pemerintah melalui program Desa Merdeka Sampah. (3) Adanya perubahan dari pelaksanaan program Desa Merdeka Sampah yaitu dalam segi sosial terdapat penyesuaian sistem dan nilai sosial, peningkatan partisipasi masyarakat dalam pengelolaan sampah dan peningkatan ketrampilan masyarakat. Segi ekonomi terdapat peningkatan penghasilan masyarakat dan pembangunan TESTA yang membuka mata pencaharian baru bagi masyarakat Desa Ujungrusi. sementara itu, dalam segi lingkungan yaitu terciptanya lingkungan bersih dan pengurangan volume sampah.

ABSTRACT:
The Waste Free Village Program is one of the programs initiated by the Tegal Regency Government to overcome the waste problem. Indicators that cause problems with waste are caused by people's indifference and ignorance of the importance of waste management. The Waste Free Village Program was then presented to alleviate this problem. Implementation of programs in society cannot be separated from community participation. Therefore, this research aims to look at community participation in the implementation of the Waste Free Village Program in Ujungrusi Village, Adiwerna District, Tegal Regency. The problem formulation in this research is how the community participates in implementing the Waste Free Village Program in Ujungrusi Village and the impact of implementing the Waste Free Village Program.
This research uses qualitative research methods with a descriptive approach. The type of research is field research. Data collection was carried out through a process of observation, interviews and documentation. The data obtained was analyzed through data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions. Meanwhile, the theory used to analyze the phenomenon in this research is Talcott Parsons' AGIL Structuralism Functionalism theory.
The research results show that (1) the implementation of the Waste Free Village program in Ujungrusi Village went through three stages, the first was the preparation stage which carried out socialization, formation of KSM, disbursement of funds and waste management training. The second stage of program implementation includes waste sorting, waste collection and waste management activities. The three stages of assistance in implementing the Waste Free Village program. (2) Ujungrusi Village community participation in the Waste Free Village program, namely community participation in socialization activities, waste management training (compost, eco enzyme, waste creation) and waste bank activities. According to the AGIL context, community participation is a form of adjustment to the new system for waste management initiated by the Government through the Waste Free Village program. (3) There are changes in the implementation of the Waste Free Village program, namely in terms of social aspects there are adjustments to social systems and values, increased community participation in waste management and increased community skills. From an economic perspective, there is an increase in people's income and the development of TESTA which opens up new livelihoods for the people of Ujungrusi Village. Meanwhile, in terms of the environment, namely creating a clean environment and reducing the volume of waste.