I’m sure I’m not alone when I tell you that some things I send to school never make it home. Last year we lost my son’s favorite winter coat affectionately known in our home as ‘Fuzzbomb’. This year we already lost one red Built neoprene lunch bag and some top secret new LunchBots samples that I was testing out. Poof – they disappeared.
So, given that things go missing, who wants to send one of your everyday forks or spoons from home to school? Chances are that they will accidentally end up in the trash or recycling bin at school. For this reason, many of us turn to plastic utensils. They work fine, we don’t mind if they get lost and they make packing school lunches easier. And we all love easy.
However, there is a much healthier, easier, cheaper, higher quality option.
Why avoid using plastic cutlery?
There are many health concerns.
Most plastic knives, forks and spoons are made from polystyrene. Polystyrene can migrate into our food. It is stored in our body fat and can contribute to a whole list of health issues.
The environmental impact is staggering.
Poster by Max Tempkin
The majority of plastic knives, forks and spoons end up in a landfill. Only an small % of plastic waste is recycled in the US and polystyrene is difficult to recycle.
My Plastic Free Life has a great post on plastic recycling rates – Plastic Bag Manufacturer Misleads Public About Recycling Rates Here’s The Truth
A fork or a spoon may seem like a little thing, but if we multiply 150 school days per year by 55 million US K-12 students by .25 (let’s assume that ¼ of students use one plastic utensil daily), that equals 2 billion pieces of plastic in our landfill every school year.
The Solution:
“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
-Yogi Berra
Stainless Steel Forks and Spoons for our School Lunches
Back in the days, families used to keep everything and pass it down. The dings and scratches that developed over time were considered a sign of character. If you own any kitchenware from your grandparents you don’t just have an old pot or pan, you have good memories of the cookies they baked, favorite recipes, and family meals.
The solution to the cutlery problem is to visit your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or garage sale and buy a few stainless steel forks and spoons. You’ll be amazed at the selection and styles to choose from and they clean up just fine.
I paid $0.25 each for a set of used stainless steel forks from Japan. And I have had fun building an eclectic set of reusable utensils that I can send to school every day. My son laughs when he gets the spoon with the ridiculously long handle or the sugar spoon with the pretty design for his yogurt. It’s easy. No chemicals, no waste, minimal expense, no worries.
Go Goodwill!
