Photo by Maria Ilves on Unsplash
Ease Rating: Medium
Carbon Emission Savings: 16 kg CO2e
5 - ~80% target progress (2,000+ kg CO2e)
4 - ~60% (1,000 - 2,000 kg CO2e)
3 - ~20% (500 - 1,000 kg CO2e)
2 - ~10% (100 - 500 kg CO2e)
1 - <10% (<100 kg CO2e)
0 - <1% (<30 kg CO2e)
No. of People Influenced Beyond You: tens of people
Amount of Savings: n/a
Impacts: ♻️ Reduce Plastics
Categories: Stuff
Description
When you are eating at a restaurant or taking food to go, if you are offered plastic silverware, say no! Instead, use your own cutlery and help reduce plastic waste. You can take your own silverware, especially if you have extra inexpensive pieces here or there, or you can use an on-the-go cutlery set.
Cutlery sets are small, which makes them easy to carry and ready to use whenever you need them. They are also easily washable. It is a nice way to avoid wastefully throwing away one-time-use plasticware!
Tips
• Consider including a reusable straw, chopsticks, or whatever you tend to use in your small outside-the-home eating kit as well!• To make it easy to get into the habit of using your own cutlery, keep them in handy locations. For example, in your bag, coat, or vehicle.
• In a restaurant, you may need to proactively mention you do not need plastic cutlery or straws to avoid getting them. Typically, the staff appreciates this because it is a little less work for them or if they are an owner it saves them some money!
• If you need to buy a cutlery set, look for one made with sustainable materials by sustainable companies. Consider a used option if you can find a nice-looking option online.
• Cutlery sets are fantastic to have in a workplace setting. You can likely leave a set there and clean it as needed. If you cannot clean at work, you can bring them home to clean and bring them back the next workday because they are easily transportable.
• Using your cutlery set in the workplace is awesome because others see what you are doing and may encourage your peers to do the same over time!