SNAMBOO: Handmade Bag from Natural Fibers of Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata) Leaves and Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) Sheaths ^†

Abstract

This study aimed to produce a handmade paper bag from natural sources of fiber, namely snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata) leaves and bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) sheaths. The researchers successfully developed and produced the product, noting significant contributions in the field of environmental and green processes, ultimately leading toward solutions to major problems on Earth. Specifically, this study determined the quality of the produced bag in terms of weight, durability, and reusability. The findings of the tests conducted showed that the handmade paper bag with dimensions of 7.5” × 4” × 10” has an average weight of 78.33 g, which means that it is slightly heavier than commercial bags. Thickness is a big factor that can affect the weight of the paper bag, which means that the thicker the paper, the heavier the basic weight, which results in a greater load-carrying capacity. As such, the durability test conducted revealed the strength of the produced bag, represented by a weight-carrying capacity of 5.05 kg. It also can endure heavy weights for an extended period of time, which implies that it is capable of carrying even more than 5.05 kg. Meanwhile, a real-word usage simulation was also conducted to determine the reusability of the bag. This was conducted by walking with each bag with the full weight in a 50-m distance per walk cycle. Based on the test, it is concluded that the bag can be reused 20 times on average, which exceeded the standard of only 3 reuses. In conclusion, the paper bags produced from snake plant and bamboo sheath fibers exhibit good quality for usage, and thus, these have the potentiality to create sustainable and organic paper bags.