Enough with disposable plastic cutlery! We see these littered on our streets and our beautiful beaches too often 😥
Many say “It’s just one fork,” but multiplied by millions upon millions, those plastic utensils are terrible for the environment. With the number of customers buying food from food stands and kiosks, it is no surprise we often find plastic litter at the beach.
Some estimates put the number of individual plastic utensils wasted at 40 billion per year in the United States alone. After just one single use, most of them are thrown out and end up in landfills and in our waterways.
Plastic cutlery is one of those items that won’t get recycled even when you put it in the recycling. It’s too contaminated. It’s too small. It's too lightweight. So those 40 billion plastic utensils per year are a complete waste. (John McKenna: Why are Wildfires getting worse).
What can consumers do to reduce litter caused by plastic utensils?
1. Bring your own utensils
Keep a set of utensils in your car or in your bag. As you bring them home to wash after using them, pack another set and keep it in a safe place. For your next picnic at the park or the beach, remember to bring your own cutlery.
2. Reuse the plastic utensils
Remember that just because something is cheap enough to dispose of, that does not mean you HAVE to throw it away. Plastic utensils are reusable too.
What can businesses do to reduce litter caused by plastic utensils?
Offer incentives to customers who bring their own utensils
If disposable utensils are necessary to your business, consider environmentally friendly alternatives such *compostable or even *edible utensils!
FYI, you do not need to throw away those compostable utensils if they can be used again.
(*As an Amazon Associate OnePieceADay earns from qualifying purchases. Please read product descriptions carefully before making purchases - search results in Amazon occasionally yields irrelevant products.)
What if I have an unused pack of plastic utensils?
Again, just because they are disposable, that does not mean you need to dispose of them after one use! You can eat with them more than once 🥣
They can also make beautiful works or art, or create custom patterns in pasties. While it is already common to do these with metal utensils, the ability to cut plastic utensils allow for more play.
Check out the following articles for ideas:
Wonderful DIY:
yahoo!life:
Plastic utensils can also be used as Popsicle sticks for you homemade frozen treats. Plastic spoons can aid the smoothing of bathroom caulking, while plastic knives can be used to spread out glue. Hair styling can also be done with plastics forks. You can also tie your hair with plastic utensils - heck why not! Many are already doing so with pencils or chopsticks!🥢 They can also turn into costumes :o)
Check out the followings links for hair styling ideas:
TheBeautyElite:
xoJahtna:
Today we will run our fourth giveaway draw - courtesy of Etee!
Today’s Challenge:
Instead of buying plastic utensils, buy reusable utensils! Show us your reusable utensil!
Share a photo and tag @shopetee AND @onepieceaday1, and use the hashtag #OPADPlasticFreeJuly to earn 1 ENTRY into today’s giveaway, as well as the monthly grand draw!
How can I win prizes?
Step1: Follow @shopetee and @onepieceaday1
Step 2: Tag a friend! (optional)
Step 3: Share a photo (to your story OR your feed) of you completing today's challenge for 1 ENTRY, tag @onepieceaday1 & @shopetee and use the hashtag #OPADPlasticFreeJuly.
Step 4: Log your refusal on the OnePieceADay app!
NOTE: Your entry today will be counted towards BOTH the 24-hour giveaway today, AND into the draw for the grand zero-waste prize pack at the end of the month (that is 2x the entry!)
Each day is a new opportunity to increase your chances. Be sure to stick around for more chances to win!
Questions? Drop them below!
Tomorrow Take Care of What You Have 🌎
In 2018, California, US had its worst wildfire year on record. The wildfires burned through more than 50,000 hectares and is the most deadly in California’s history (John McKenna: Why are Wildfires getting worse, 2018). In 2020, Australia had more than 11 million hectares (110,000 sq km or 27.2 million acres) of bush, forest and parks burned (Australia fires: (BBC News: Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis)). This is all a result from Climate Change. As human beings, we have to take care of what we have because if we do not, then it can be taken from us.
We have only ten more days until Plastic-Free July ends. Remember that we will have our final giveaway at the end of the month.
Keep it up folks!
Associated Links: