B.Y.O. Flatware for a Green Workplace

Forks Plastic silverware might be convenient, but consider this: an office of 100 people can contribute nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste to our landfills each year. Reduce meal-time refuge by bringing your own lunch utensils—and encourage your office to replace plastic forks with their biodegradable counterparts.

The Problem with Plastic

Plastic has its advantages—it keeps our shampoo bottles from breaking when we sleepily drop them; it’s lightweight (which helps reduce shipping and oil costs), cheap and easy to throw away.

Biodegradability

It’s the disposable nature of plastic products that leads to clogged landfills. According to the 2006 Environmental Protection Agency’s report on municipal waste, Americans threw away 25,500,000 million tons of plastic. That’s the weight of nearly five of Egypt’s great pyramids.

Aside from the sheer mass of adding that much garbage to our landfills, the problem with plastic that it breaks down at a snail’s pace—and some plastic doesn’t break down at all. In fact, a plastic soda bottle can take between 450and 700 yearsto decompose!

Energy Costs

In addition to taking centuries to decompose, producing plastics like the flatware found in our offices uses up a precious commodity: energy. A study by the American Chemistry Council found that 10 percent of U.S. oil consumption is used to make plastics. Furthermore, the Metabolix National Online Survey on Plastic, the same study, found that over 70% of Americans are unaware that plastic is made from oil.

Innovation in Plastic

To meet the demand of lunchers on the go, scientists have come up with new, biodegradable plastic products which are made from eco-friendly sources. Take SpudWare—disposable flatware made of potatoes and soy. This cool cutlery disposes in a mere 180 days and is to be bought in bulk, creating an affordable, earth-responsible solution for offices everywhere.


 

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