Say “No” to Plastic Cutlery this Plastic Free July

We’re now heading into July, affectionately known at SEE-Change as ‘Plastic free July’. This is a great opportunity for us all to look at ways of reducing single use plastic in our lives and homes. Less single use plastic means less waste to landfill, and therefore less plastic going into our rivers and oceans. 

Did you know that plastic cutlery cannot be recycled? Along with other countries that have already banned plastic cutlery, the ACT Government has given a high priority to banning plastic cutlery. 

We can reduce non-recyclable plastic cutlery by carrying our own cutlery when we eat out just as many of us now carry our own water bottles. You can carry your own cutlery from home, or purchase non plastic alternatives (e.g. bamboo, wood or metal) from the many options available through shops, or by doing a quick Google. and purchasing online. We recommend checking out Flora and Fauna, who have a number of options for bamboo reusable cutlery sets.  Whatever you choose, it’s a good idea to make a bag to put them in after use.

Food vendors respond to what their customers want. The more people who politely turn down the offer of plastic cutlery, the more other customers and vendors will see that there are alternatives to routinely using single use plastic cutlery. 

When presented with disposable cutlery, try asking whether the cutlery is plastic or will it decompose. It may encourage the vendor to consider decomposable cutlery instead. McDonald’s announced in March this year to replace plastic cutlery with fibre-based cutlery. If McDonalds can do it, then others can do it. Even if they have decomposable cutlery, it is still better to refuse and use your own.

Imagine the impact we could make if everyone used a cutlery set that they carried with them instead of thousands of throwaway plastics that cannot be recycled.

Want to take action on waste? Join WasteLess! To sign up, email peter.lecornu@gmail.com.