Tea Bag Waste Can Be A Decomposition Of Aesthetic Houses In The Hands Of Ubaya Students

JAKARTA - A unique house made of waste is stealing more and more attention, one of which is a replica-shaped mini house made from used tea bags. This trend arises as interest in sustainable decorations increases and creative ideas that take advantage of the remaining daily consumption goods.

One of the similar innovations came from a student from the University of Surabaya (Ubaya), Jeanne Theresia Mintarja, who developed a series of house decorations using used teabag bags as the main ingredient. This idea arises from the habit of families who regularly consume tea and are curious about the traces of their trash.

At first I found out that the tea bag contained microplastics. If it is immediately disposed of, the waste not only pollutes the soil but can also enter the ecosystem. From there I thought, there must be a way so that this material can have new use value," Jeanne said on the Ubaya campus, as quoted by ANTARA.

Jeanne started researching since the fifth semester. The process is not only to make products, but also to research material characters, ranging from endurance, color, texture, to flexibility after processing.

The biggest challenge is not only the technique, but it determines what product fits this material. Because the material has a different character from recycled paper, the form of the product must follow the nature of the material," he explained.

The production process is quite long. The tea bag is sorted based on color and conditions, then blended into a soft dough. This material can then be printed in the shape of a sheet resembling a recycled paper, or printed into a solid for three-dimensional form.

From this study, Jeanne managed to release three categories of decorative products labeled Dipt: decoration trays, table clocks, and table lights. Each product category is present in different design and finishing choices according to the appearance of the tea material used.

For the next stage, he wants to explore color variants using organic dyes and improve product completion quality to make them neater and more precise.

"In the future, we want to increase the type of variant and smooth the finishing details. Production must also be faster," he said.

The 'Dipt' product will be introduced to the public in the final task exhibition in January. Material engineering and the time-consuming process make the product price start at around Rp. 100,000, depending on the shape and complexity.

"The process is long and the tools used are special, so the price adjusts the shape and details," added Jeanne.

This work is not only home decoration, but also an invitation to change the way of looking at daily waste that something that is considered trivial can be processed into a full design of value, aesthetics, and functions.