Written by: Austin Layton on September 20, 2020

Why get plastic forks or spoons with your delivery if you already have reusable cutlery at home?

Just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it's a good thing

We’ve all done it. Ordering your favorite food from apps like DoorDash or UberEats is super-easy. Search, select, purchase, and then food shows up magically at your doorstep, usually within an hour.

The food tastes delicious, and many throw away the waste without even considering the impact. When you get delivery from a restaurant and they include a plastic fork for example, you probably only use that once before putting it in the trash. It may seem like a small impact, but it adds up. It’s estimated that nearly 40 billion pounds of waste alone come from plastic cutlery each year. Why do we need these as part of the delivery when just about everyone already has utensils at home?

They do not get recycled and an organization called Habits of Waste is trying to do something about it. Their #CUTOUTCUTLERY campaign is trying to make it so our favorite food delivery apps have a default opt-out of receiving plastic utensils with your order, and making it an opt-in if you want it. 

With the default being to not send out this wasteful plastic, the environmental impact will likely be great. If you don’t have your own utensils already, take a look at Wiser Water’s Sustainable Bamboo Cutlery Set to start reducing waste today.

Sources: “Plastic Cutlery Is Terrible For The Environment And We Don't Need To Have It Delivered” by: Laura Tenenbaum at Forbes. Published on July 16, 2019.