The May goal in our Year of monthly waste reduction goals is to eliminate disposable plastic cutlery. Unlike other single-use plastic, most municipal recycling programs don’t accept plastic cutlery, meaning it goes straight from your plate to the landfill. But, there are alternatives!

This post was originally published in May 2020 as “May goal – eliminate disposable plastic cutlery” and updated in January 2023.

Will plastic cutlery soon be a thing of the past?

During a business trip to Chicago late last year, I grabbed a snack at the airport before boarding my flight home. Imagine my surprise when my server delivered a small package of plastic cutlery with my food! Disposable cutlery has been standard in fast food restaurants for as long as I can remember, but this is the first time I’d ever been given plastic cutlery in a table service restaurant. Ugh.

As of December 2022, Canada’s Single Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations make it illegal to import plastic cutlery into Canada and, by the end of 2023, it will be banned from sale. When this takes effect, restaurants will be forced to find alternatives. Perhaps we’ll go back to the wooden forks we used to eat our chips with when I was a child growing up in England.

But why wait until we’re forced to make a change? Let’s start now.

How you can eliminate plastic cutlery from your life

Parties and other gatherings

If you’re hosting a large gathering, you probably use plastic cutlery, along with disposable plates and napkins. The days of going to Costco and picking up a giant box of plastic knives and forks are coming to an end…at least here in Canada. So, what are the alternatives?

• Buy compostable, disposable cutlery made of wood. I recently saw cutlery made from birch at my local supermarket. They also offer bamboo plates and bowls so you can say good-bye to Styrofoam for ever!
• Rent cutlery, and other dinnerware, from a local party rental company. They will usually drop off and pick up.  
• Ask guests to bring their own cutlery. The women’s group at my church does that for potlucks so we can spend time socializing instead of washing dishes.

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Eating on the go

In your everyday life, you probably use disposable cutlery when eating on the go. Even when restaurants offer alternatives to plastic, reducing waste is always a good idea. Why not pack a set of reusable cutlery in your backpack or briefcase?

When I started to focus on reducing waste, I looked at prepackaged sets of travel cutlery, but I found most of them to be overpriced or cheaply made. Instead, I bought some inexpensive cutlery and some cute cloth pouches. For about the price of one set of purpose-made travel cutlery, I got four! I keep one in my purse, my car, and in my work backpack so I always have one handy when I am on the go. I also keep a set of reusable plastic cutlery in my travel carry-on. (For more tips on reducing waste when travelling, see Green travel tips to reduce your carbon footprint.)

In addition to packed lunches and takeout, I even use my own cutlery at potlucks and parties where plastic is being used.

Eliminating plastic cutlery might seem like a small step but, for me alone, it saves hundreds of plastic knives, forks and spoons from the landfill each year. Think about it, even if you eat out two or three times a week, you’re probably throwing away about 200 pieces of plastic cutlery. It’s a simple change but it does add up.

How are you doing on your waste reduction goals? Tell us below!