Carry Your Own Cutlery
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 07. 5.07
Jacob told us last year about a movement in Asia to encourage people to bring their own chopsticks to reduce the waste caused by 45 billion pairs thrown out each year. Rider at Sustainable is Good notes that it would not be such a bad idea over here, where millions of sets of plastic cutlery go into the garbage every day.
There is some really nice stuff out there as well; Snow Peak, a high end ultralight camping gear company, sells this titanium set that can last a lifetime. Only 1.8 oz, (52 grams) with a carrying pouch for thirty bucks. There are cheaper alternatives but none so light and so durable.
Rider notes that there are lots of "products marketed towards a specific community that are virtually unknown to other segments of the marketplace but yet could be quite successful if they were." For example, the snow peak cutlery is "marketed toward hikers concerned about the overall weight of their packs" but could have "huge potential in the green marketplace."
Can you think of any others like this?
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I re-use the plastic stuff given to me at resturaunts. I've found that some of them last longer than the cheap 'silverware' you buy at stores which rusts the second time you wash it. I just take the plastic they give me and wash it and re-use it again and again.
A similar stainless steel campset, with great ergonomics, has been available for years. Got my first set at LL Bean circa 1995. I've had them in my briefcase, car console Etc. ever since. Price: $2.99
Snowpeak also makes chopsticks that are titanium and wood. They are on my Christmas list for this year since I hate using the disposable ones when eat out. The wood ends unscrew and then are stored in the barrels making a nice neat package. I believe REI carries them in the states.
That fork looks pretty nice, but I'll stick to my folding SIGG cutlery.
An oldie but a goodie, I always try to bring my reuseable coffee mug with me for cafes. Only Starbucks has ever grumbled about it I suppose if you were really hardcore you could bring a lunchbox/thermos for dine out left overs instead of getting one of the industry-standard styrofoam to-go containers.
My family and I like to carry around sporks by Bambu. They are small and lightweight. The kids love them and we just pop them in the dishwasher when we get home.
My office goes through a ton of plastic silverware. I recently went to the neighborhood thrift store, picked up about 50 pieces of used metal silverware for around $5.00 and brought it in after giving it a good washing.
It's been a subtle, effective way to encourage less waste. Just providing the option made a difference.
The folding angle is a great idea! I'll have to get a set for eating what little fast food I do.
kinda ridiculous to pay $30 for metal cutlery. you can get steel stuff that will last for generations for significantly less.
A woman off LJ suggested the Snow Peak SPORK to me last year. I ordered it and have been using it for everything - I often forget it's in my bag because it's so light and remember when reaching for plastic that I don't have to.
There's no need to buy an extra set of anything, you have everything you need in your kitchen right now.
I just bring my normal silverware when I pack a lunch or go camping.
At lunch, I toss the dirty spoon or fork in the container I used to pack my food or just wrap it in a napkin, then I bring it home to wash.
When car camping, we wash dishes the first few days, and then wrap them up to bring home dirty the last day. (I would rewash it at home anyway, so why not just do it once?) I've never had a problem with bringing my normal dishes (ceramic, I think) and I usually save the plastic cups from Baseball games to drink out of. In fact, another lazy tip is to bring a ton of plastic baseball cups (2 per person per day), stack them up dirty as you use them, and then wash them all when you get home. The juice, or what ever, dries and really isn't a problem. I mention this because many people still use the disposable options for convenience.
It's so easy and feels good not to be tossing out plates and silverware needlessly. And, we don't need to buy any extra stuff.
Titanium utensils are a sustainable option? Ever hear of people losing things? Destructive mining? Grab a set of plastic utensils that are going to be discarded. Wash them off, use the, and keep them for next time. When you lose them or they break, do it again. This is a much better way to get a set of small, light, reuseable utensils which have the added benefits of being free and not promoting use of precious metal resources for unecessary, frivolous reasons.
There's also To-Go Ware's bamboo utensil set--with chopsticks.
The best sustainable option probably depends on your intended use. For family camping, office use etc, second hand metal utensils are a great choice. If you want a portable personal set to take everywhere, then a light weight metal hiking set will probably serve you better. Primus, MSR and Snow Peak make high quality utensil sets in steel or titanium that you can use anywhere and will to your grandchildren after you've eaten your last. If you shell out for titanium like I did, the sheer size of the investment will guarantee that they never end up in a landfill. Be careful if you fly with these sets or a metal spork, though. TSA may require you to check them.
Another good light and inexpensive option are Guyot Designs' Microbites. I work for the company, so I'm biased, but we make 2 peice set of Spork/Knife that snap together and look pretty nice.
They're 4.95 on our web site, weight about an once, and each set bears a serial number that lets you verify that 25lbs of verified carbon emissions were retired for each set.
www.guyotdesigns.com/microbites