comment: >
  
  The first big shock moving to USA from INDIA was the amount of waste per person generated.
context: so begins the era of the double-use plastic cutlery and plates >
  
  Double? Man, I snagged a plastic "single use" fork from the cafeteria at work to eat my lunch I bring from home. It's going 6 months strong. Just rinse it off everyday. >
  
  uh look I know it's kind of a meme at this point but reusing single use plastics like that introduces even more microplastics into your body than we 'normally' get >
  
  Is it really any different than using a new plastic utensil everyday? Seems like him reusing one is less harmful than the 100 he hasn't used and thrown out. >
  
  The utensil gets washed and scratched, which loosens more pieces of plastic. >
  
  But, again, how different is that from simply being used as a plastic product that goes into your mouth and is scraped with your teeth? >
  
  The repetitive usage puts more strain on it over time, causing more degradation. It's not a linear progression, it gets worse the further along you go. >
  
  I laughed a sad laugh when I bought a Wendy’s meal the other day. Full plastic cup with plastic lid a shitty paper straw >
  
  Is this why every take out meal I get now is like a hard durable plastic? Supposed to be reused? What am I gonna do, take it back to them before I order my next meal? >
  
  It's the dumbest and meanest form of greenwashing:
  
  Use more plastic than before
  Tell the customer not to throw the packaging away, but to re-use it
  Leave the customer to blame themselves for the plastic waste when they can't find a use case >
  
  Classic buck-passing, like the whole “recycling” scam. Most “recycled” plastics just get sent overseas to pile up in some other much poorer country. >
  
  Or Nike sending you a plastic pouch of microplastics they saved from the planet...for you to dispose of... >
  
  Wait, what? >
  
  To my understanding, it's mean to be attached to a key chain or a bag. A reddit post has a picture. Link. >
  
  But like... why? >
  
  Nonperishable travel sized snacks >
  
  Single-use plastics in any industry? Fair game
  Plastic forks and plates? You're a bad citizen and deserve to feel bad for it >
  
  Yeah it's a good start but as a chef I still use miles worth of cling film every year. If we're going to stop using single use plastics there needs to be funding put into more environmentally safe and cost effective alternatives.
  People don't use them because they hate the environment, they use them because the alternatives are either too costly or non existent. >
  
  
  the alternatives are either too costly
  
  It's not so much that the alternatives are too costly but that they actually internalize their costs. As long as the cheap, disposable, harmful products are allowed to externalize the costs of the damage they cause, they will continue to free-ride. >
  
  And not necessarily even exorbitantly expensive, just not as cheap as plastic. If plastic had never been an option, I'm sure we'd get by just fine using whatever alternatives there are, but we've set the expectation that anything we replace plastic with has to be as good or better in every way, including price. >
  
  The worst is plastic drink bottles.  We already had glass and aluminum which aren't terribly expensive to use and easy to recycle.  Even for litter the alternatives are miles better. Glass bottles will just break down to smaller and smaller pieces of inert sillicates and aluminum while not great is still probably better than having micro-plastics everywhere. >
  
  Yup. The trouble is that once people have had something that's a little cheaper or more convenient, nobody wants to go back even if the old ways of doing things were just fine. >
  
  Companies didn’t switch because people found it more convenient. They switched because it was cheaper for them to ship. Plastic bottles, even when built to fill more liquid, are cheaper to ship than glass. >
  
  Right, but if they shipped glass ones as well and charged more to cover the extra costs, people would still generally buy the plastic ones because consumers also prefer lower prices. >
  
  Was thinking the same why the fuck we use plastic when glass works so well but the thing is glass is heavy as fuck and you use up so much more fuel shipping glass bottles around that you are not doing the planet any service. >
  
  I say we go back to the days where people just had their own personalized cutlery that they just brought around with them everywhere. >
  
  I like this idea, and would love to reuse my personal coffee mug but where do you wash them?  What do you do with your dirty fork after you eat? >
  
  You'd have a bag that you carry it in and rinse things in the bathroom after you've used them. Then wash them when you get home. >
  
  Or… restaurants can just run them through the sanitizer and hand them back? 
  I’ve worked at a few bars that do custom glassware and I’d always rinse/sanitize a glass for a customer if they want to take it home. >
  
  I’m not doing that during a rush, sorry. >
  
  Was thinking the same thing.
  Last thing I need during a rush is customers insisting I wash their glassware.
  However the original guy probably is in a very different environment if they do custom glassware(?). >
  
  Every time humanity finds something that makes life easier for us, we overdo it to the point where it's harmful to us and everyone/thing else around us (we know lots of example from today, but a couple quick examples from the past, and far far past: whaling for blubber for lamps and hunting all big mammals to extinction in prehistoric times).  
  In short, humanity is gluttonous.
  I think this overall problem is something we should address because we're only thinking about it case-by-case at the present time. >
  
  I work in the UK in the theatre and live events industry. We go through billions of miles of electrical tape every year. This needs to stop.
  Companies I work with are trying new methods of Velcro tie wraps and such, but it's a hard habit to break when it's so common.
  "I'm doing my part!" >
  
  Don't forget duct tape, can't replace that with velcro. >
  
  If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. >
  
  The restaurant at my work recently switched from plastic cutlery to metal cutlery so it could be washed and reused, that was until they lost a load of them because people would take them home.
  The average age of the employees on site is probably about 50 so god knows why they're hurting for cutlery. >
  
  I don't bring cutlery home but I swear to god that based on some of the cutlery in the drawer, my cutlery must be going out and bringing home strays. >
  
  Mine is consistent aside form the unexplained exodus of the smaller sized forks. And I rarely use them. >
  
  Why is environmental advocation always at the expense of the average joe rather than the corporations that actually destroy the environment? >
  
  Is it not the businesses that will have to pay for environmentally friendly alternatives? Except for dickhead hospo owners who put the price onto the clients even though you get more business being eco friendly. >
  
  In BC they implemented a green initiative that required stores to charge us for bags. Where does the money go? Nowhere. Straight into the business coffers lmao. Some green initiative... >
  
  The point of charging for bags is to encourage you to bring your own reusable bags. >
  
  Way to go for the big ticket items instead of going for relatively trivial nonsense to make it look like your actually doing something to the borderline brainless average voter. >
  
  Wales an Scotland have already banned them. >
  
  What’s it like? >
  
  Didn't notice any difference, I don't eat in places that provided them in the first place. >
  
  I've already noticed a lot of places over here using wooden cutlery, R.I.P to the blue forks when eating a cone of chips at the seaside. >
  
  out of curiosity, as an American, what is a cone of chips? >
  
  Fries served in a paper cone, looking like this (links to an image) >
  
  Why would you need a fork to eat that? >
  
  A cone of chips isn't something you'd usually buy to take home and eat, most of the time it's a bite to eat while your out and about so it saves getting your fingers greasy by eating it with a fork >
  
  can someone please pass the vinegar? >
  
  Gotta be vinegar first then the salt, can't go washing the salt off! >
  
  British here and personally it's got to use the vinegar to spread the salt to the lower chips and not simply have a layer of salt only on the top.
  So salt first then the vinegar to help spread the salt around >
  
  I've never considered that before, gunna have to try it now >
  
  Maybe this isn't the best place for this but I never understood something.
  I know single-use plastic is hyper-wasteful, but wasn't a lack of trees and wasting paper the big thing a few years ago? If we switch everything to paper and wood, then won't we just slide back into the same situation?
  Not saying we can't ban single-use plastic because of this, I'm just curious why it suddenly seems to not be a concern whatsoever. >
  
  Bamboo and hemp are common nowadays and very, very renewable. >
  
  Love bamboo products.
  Even my sheets and pillows use bamboo! >
  
  How is this plastic ending up in the ocean?
  If I throw away a plastic fork it should be recycled, incinerated or landfilled (in order of preference), so why is Coffey talking about oceans? If our waste management companies are dumping trash in the sea that is far more serious than me using a plastic fork >
  
  They honestly suck, so good. Most of the time the food is coming home, or is easily eaten without silverware. If it’s not, we should have bamboo sporks available as an upon request option. >
  
  While Bamboo cutlery is good I’ve got clients who are doing R&D on using stubble from certain crops as a pulp to make single use cutlery.  Why?  Because Bamboo gives a bitter mouth taste (honestly never bothered me).  We’ve banned most single use plastics in Western Australia but not all yet. >
  
  What type of crops. >
  
  If its in WA then most likely wheat or barley,  possibly oats.
  Also another con to bamboo is that the wood texture can be a bit unpleasant when using a spoon or spork, its weird on the tongue and teeth. >
  
  I was wondering. The first few are not ideal for people with celiac, even some of the paper straws out now have gluten in the adhesive. 
  Bamboo would be interesting to try. >
  
  Ban those fucking styrofoam take away things too. >
  
  I am probably about to get heavily down voted here. But I am against government mandated bans on things like single use plastic knives, folks, plates, straws, etc. I understand that urge to ban them, as the overuse of plastics and similar chemicals and associated things are problems in our society. And not small problems either. But the plastics are that are the problem are not really single use cutlery and straws used by the end consumer.
  The major users of 70% of all plastics, is as single use storage material used by the giant Fortune 500 companies. When companies ship stuff on a cargo ship, or in the back of a delivery truck, or via railroads, all the products in the storage containers are largely wrapped in single use plastic to protect the items being shipped. Keep water off of them, and protect them from the atmosphere, keep people from breaking in and stealing, etc. So when they ship something from North America to Europe, a thousand tons of product is accompanied a 100 tons of protective plastics. Plastic that is then ripped off and then thrown away in the nearest land fill once the shipment is delivered.
  And again, that is 70% of all global use of plastic on the planet. Plastic knives, plates and cups used by a Burger Joint is, when compared to the plastics used by the big Fortune 500 companies, nothing in comparison.
  But we're outlawing the small plastics used for convenience by people that is less than 10% of the global plastics problem. While at the same time we'll allow the giant companies to continue to ship 100 tons of plastic that will literally be thrown out tomorrow. And then again the next day, and the next day after that. Times 500 cause it's the Fortune 500.
  This is going after people who have little to no political power and blaming them for a problem that isn't really of their own making. This is how some of the populist backlash is created. Liberals, Progressives, and Environmentalists pass laws like this against plastic plates and straws... and as well meaning as that may be, we are ignoring he major plastic abusing companies. So, the ban on plastic straws and forks makes the life of he average person more difficult. We tell people that they need to start carrying their own folks and knifes... well, they won't want to do that. They won't do that. And in five or ten years, they will repeal this law and blame the whole environmental movement as a bunch of idiots who wanted to make the life of the average person more difficult.
  We need to go after the over use of plastics by the giant corporations. That's 70% of the plastics problem. We need to allow the guy who wants to eat takeout food to have a peaceful life. If after we tackle the major plastics use we find that we still need to think about banning plastic cutlery... OK. But at least then we will have gone after the major abusers first.
  This really, to me, looks like somebody arresting jaywalkers when there are mass murders on the loose. Mass murders who are leaving their names, addresses and phone numbers listed on every one of their victims. But the police aren't bothering to look for the mass murderers who would be easy to catch because Bob might think about crossing against the lights later this evening if the 800 police officers watching him go off to instead stop Murder Incorporated. >
  
  The vast majority of plastics pulled out of the ocean are industrial in origin. Fishing gear and the like.
  But sure, tell me more about how my plastic spoon is literally setting the earth on fire and stomping turtle eggs. >
  
  It’s the same with plastic straws. Making people use paper straws isn’t going to solve anything because plastic straws aren’t really the problem in the first place. 
  How government can be so easily influenced by big business is sickening. >
  
  I don't think it's just big business. Politicians and environmental activists are the 2 other groups swimming in the same waters. I don't know who started it - but whomever got all 3 parties to work together on the low-hanging fruits is a genius. 
  
  Big business was able to get rid of low-level things like plastic carrybags - or monetize their replacements which they'd been trying to do for decades. 
  Any blow-back from the public had the activists playing defence for the changes.  
  Politicians got an easy win to crow about, and they didn't have to risk disrupting big business. >
  
  it depends, on what they actually do. the EU already banned "single use" cuterly, so the producers made more durable versions, to be intended for washing and reusing, but people still throw them away, because, where would they wash them while traveling? and where to store them later, so they are clean when to be used next time? some also try to make cuterly out of some sort of compressed paper, but the knifes are too soft for any use, and after some time they will soak with the liquid in the food. if GB is as stupid as the EU, or even worse, it will be a failure, like we have.
  ceterum censeo "unit libertatem" esse delendam. >
  
  Yep, this is what happened with the ban on single use bags in CA. We’re now paying $.25 per bag whose “multi use” is typically limited to pet waste.
  edit: I primarily use reusable bags / bins, and have done so for more than 10 years.  My point is that those who used plastic bags before the ban still use plastic bags, and they still throw them away. >
  
  Pay $1 per bag and use it for years. I have 4 bags that are easily 5 years old and probably have at least 2 more in them.
  That was the intent of the regulations. >
  
  I use reusable bags and bins, and have done so since before the ban. My point is that the disposable bag bans have resulted in heavier, more expensive plastic bags going in the trash with about the same frequency as the old disposable ones. >
  
  If you're 'now paying $.25 per bag whose “multi use” is typically limited to pet waste' then stop.
  Use reusable bags. >
  
  I already do, and have for more than 10 years.  My point is that the people who used to use plastic bags and threw them away still use plastic bags and still throw them away. >
  
  Haha. Funny. 70% of plastic in the ocean is fishing gear. The fish in the photo is the source of most plastic contamination, more so than any single-use plastic cutlery can ever be. I guess we are ready to save the planet as long as it doesn’t go against our dietary preference. >
  
  Unfortunately what we see here in the states (I’m in California ) is we banned single use plastic bags. But stores just went to a thicker plastic and call them reusable now. Which are just worse for environment, very little reuse is realistic if most of the community actually tried.
  So our law basically just increased plastic use while passing the cost along to shoppers. Not a great solution in the end. >
  
  How are you unable to reuse any bags? >
  
  I am, and will choose paper to avoid plastic when ever given the choice.  But a plastic bag gets holes easily, even the thick reusable ones. So reuse for more than a handful times isn’t really happening. And also  I would guess the percentage of folks reusing those bags is low and not much of an sizable increase over the previous thinner bags. Either you reuse or you don’t. I don’t think the bag type changes or influences that.
  I still have cloth bags that are 20 years old I use. >
  
  We've come full circle to paper products. Does anyone remember when paper was demonized for plastic in the 90's? >
  
  I'm guessing the chippys will just swap to disposable wood >
  
  This won't do anything except make poor folk more miserable. >
  
  That’s the point! And also Ban and take away any freedom they can so long as it makes them look good for their base. Aka Greenwashing >
  
  Hemp plastics, ya fu**s >
  
  You know how America solved that problem with single use bags, right?  Just use thicker plastic and now it’s suddenly reuseable, problem solved! >
  
  So everybody's gonna be carrying around their own personal cutlery now? >
  
  Yeah what happens at the drive-through? >
  
  In some asian cultures people have a personal set of chopsticks they carry with them.  Either that or wherever I heard this was lying to me and I'm gullible, but it made sense. >
  
  I do carry around a metal pair of chopsticks, a fork and spoon, a reusable water bottle, glass meal containers and a reusable bag. I cook at home and bring my food to work.
  I don't eat out much anymore, and if I do it's usually at sit-down restaurants with metal cutlery. When we get food delivered there's an option to select with or without cutlery, and I always select without.
  I don't really do it consciously for the environment, or to save costs, it's merely a side effect of me being a pack rat that likes having my own things that help me eat and shop conveniently. Plus the quality of what I make at home is better than what I get outside.
  My grandma lived through WWII and would be terrified of running out of food and would keep EVERYTHING. So if that's Asian then we're very Asian. >
  
  That covers plastic knives, but what about plastic stablery and scooplery?