I remember every time I bought my food at the university, it always came with plastic cutlery. The thing is plastic cutlery is only used for a few minutes and then thrown away. It eventually ends up in landfills or oceans after just one single use. However, it will take years to decompose, damaging the ecosystem. But carrying your own fork and spoon would help solve the plastic crisis and here’s why.
A « deadly » item
According to statistics, it is estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils are used and tossed every year in the U.S only. The thing is those items won’t get recycled even if you put them in the right bin. Indeed, they are too small and lightweight. And, just like many plastic items, utensils end up in the environment, harming soils and oceans. According to some data provided by non-profit 5Gyres, utensils are the seventh most commonly collected plastic item. The Ocean Conservancy even listed cutlery as among the “most deadly” items to sea turtles, birds, and mammals.
Big polluters join the fight
Fortunately, many brands are taking steps towards a beterre future as the awareness about the issues of single-use plastic has spread globally. Thanks to the #CUTOUTCUTLERY campaign, the NGO Habits of Waste managed to convince all four major food delivery applications (Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates and DooDash) to add a feature on their apps to eliminate unnecessary plastic waste. Indeed, for instance, they changed “their default setting so one receives plastic cutlery unless they opt-in to request it”.
Remember change starts with you
If we stop buying, they’ll probably stop selling it. So, remember as consumers we have our word to say. So, maybe the easiest solution is to carry our own cutlery just like we carry our own coffee mug or water bottle now. And there are so many alternatives to plastic: you can opt for bamboo or inox cutlery. But, remember, no one will judge you if sometimes you buy take-away meals from Uber and opt for plastic cutlery. But, you need also to keep in mind that change starts with you. Every small effort makes a difference. So, if you refuse plastic cutlery when ordering food, or even buy less take-away meals, you would have contributed to make the world a beterre place.
So join us to build a beterre future by using reusable cutlery and refusing single-use plastic.
