Reducing Plastic Cup Waste, Unpad Students Develop Cups from Coffee Bean Skins
The utilization of disposable goods is still a problem that is often encountered in society. This frequently causes various kinds of problems related to waste that have the potential to damage the environment.
This has become one of the concerns of young people today to be able to innovate in utilizing waste into something valuable. In line with that, a group of Universitas Padjadjaran students took the initiative to utilize coffee bean skins into consumable cups. The students are Ardhia Pramesti, Widya Silva Gramita, Sabrina Maharani Putri, Afina Viany Judawisastra, and Fahruni Alya Jasminea Bayuaji. They all come from the Food Technology study program.
The development of environmentally friendly products developed by Unpad students named “Scara Cup” is based on research, knowledge, and learning experiences that have been received during lectures. This innovation is one of Unpad’s efforts to reduce the use of disposable goods, such as plastic cups. In addition to coffee bean skin, the innovators also combined several other natural products, such as flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and chocolate to prevent the liquid from penetrating the glass.
One of the team members, Widya Silva Gramita, explained that coffee bean skin is useful as an antioxidant that is good for health. This is a positive side that not many people realize.
“The creation of Scara Cup aims to prevent waste pollution, where coffee bean skins can cause large organic waste pollution,” Widya added through her written explanation.
The development of Scara Cup as an effort to reduce the use of disposable products is also supported by an interesting fact that this innovation can also be a filling snack. With this uniqueness, Scara Cup successfully obtained funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Entrepreneurship Student Creativity Program (PKM-H).
The uniqueness of the Scara Cup is also in its excellent durability. If this product is filled with normal-temperature liquid, it can last up to six hours. Meanwhile, if filled with high-temperature liquid water, Scara Cup can last up to thirty minutes.
Various efforts were made by Unpad students to be able to promote this environmentally friendly product, such as participating in environmental-themed exhibitions, opening pre-orders through their Instagram page @scara.cup, and collaborating with various coffee shops.
A student member of the product development team, Ardhia Pramesti, said that Scara Cup’s target consumers are people who have an interest in coffee and those who are aware of, and want to contribute to addressing environmental issues.
“Hopefully, we want Scara Cup to be known more by the wider community. We also want its marketing reach to be wider, not only in Jatinangor and its surroundings,” he explained further.
Improving environmental issues is actually the responsibility of all elements of society. Through the development of products derived from this waste, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and all other faculties at Universitas Padjadjaran actively contribute to reducing the use of disposable products.
Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi Sekartaji
Translator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah
