Many disposable spoons, forks and other utensils are derived from petroleum. These petroleum-based products pose a risk to the environment during manufacturing and disposal. For an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic utensils, consider biodegradable versions made from sugar cane, corn starch, potatoes or soy. These materials, known as bioplastics, can help you minimize your impact on the environment and conserve resources for future generations.
Divert Waste From Landfills
When you throw plastic utensils in the trash, they eventually end up in area landfills. As these landfills fill to capacity, society will be forced to devote new land to waste storage and disposal instead of using this land for more productive uses. Biodegradable utensils do not need to go the landfill. In fact, lack of air and sunlight in the landfill prevents the utensils from decomposing as they should. Instead, place them in your backyard compost bin and allow them to decompose naturally over time. Depending on the type of bioplastic, some of these utensils are designed to decompose only at commercial composting plants. If your municipality accepts yard waste, they will likely accept these utensils for commercial composting.
Conserve Fossil Fuels
Manufacturers use petroleum by-products like propane and natural gas to produce plastic spoons, forks and knives. Like all fossil fuels, petroleum is a non-renewable resource and world supplies continue to dwindle each year. According to the Plastic Planet, manufacturers in the United States use 331 million barrels of oil for plastic production each year. This represents 4.6 percent of all United States oil consumption. Instead of using limited oil supplies to makes utensils, biodegradable utensil manufacturers rely on rapidly renewable crops like sugar cane and corn. These utensils reduce world dependence on oil and help preserve remaining supplies for future generations.
Reduce Emissions and Pollution
By using crops instead of oil to produce utensils, manufacturers reduce petroleum-related air and water pollution along with greenhouse gas emissions. Converting food products into a fork releases fewer toxins than those produced during petroleum extraction and refinement. Bioplastics help protect the health of humans, plants and wildlife by keeping dangerous chemicals out of air and water supplies.
According to the High Country Conservation Center, waste disposal accounts for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. By switching to biodegradable products instead of landfill-bound ones, you help reduce these emissions and minimize the impact of global warming.
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