Of all the forms of plastic pollution on this planet, the Ocean Conservancy lists cutlery as amongst the “most deadly” to sea turtles, birds, and mammals. And since alternatives to plastic cutlery are not widespread, the solution, for now, is rather straightforward: we should carry our own cutlery with us.
Sure, you might draw a few stares when you pull a fork and a knife out of your bag, but you can take solace in the fact that people carried around their own set of cutlery for centuries before single-use plastics became the norm. Companies have been working to find new materials to replace plastic cutlery. Bamboo, for instance, has become increasingly popular as it can be made into a reusable material. In fact, an airline by the name of Hi-Fly has been operating flights in which reusable bamboo cutlery is used, cleaned, and reused 100 times before it’s thrown away.
Still, until such solutions become more common, the best thing you can do to protect the oceans is to bring your own set of cutlery with you wherever you go.
