Avoid plastic utensils by carrying your own, wrapped in handmade recycled cases

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

No_plastic_utensil Utensil cases, of recycled materials or otherwise, may not be at the top of anybody's list of shopping necessities. But, once you start to contemplate the vast amounts of plastic and wood made into cutlery that gets used only a few minutes (3 minutes is average) and then landfilled for eons, carrying your own KFS-set (KFS is military jargon for knife, fork, spoon) starts to make more sense.

As someone who encounters this waste of plastic (and wooden, even bamboo) disposable flatware on a daily basis the amount on a national and international scale will be absolutely amazing.

When you consider the resources that are used in making such flatware, whether plastic, wood, or bamboo (and please no one quote me now the fact that there is flatware made of biodegradable plastic and that wood and bamboo will compost) and then the costs and the environmental footprint of shipping the stuff it makes much more sense to put your own KFS-set together and carry it in some sort of a case.

There is no need to go out and buy a set that comes with a recycled case, for instance. Nor do you have to go out and buy a such a case for a KFS-set that you put together; you can make one quite easily yourself if you have just the slightest idea of hand sewing or using a sewing machine. It is simple.

I make mine from recycled leather and find that that one can be made in a very short time but, then again, I do do a lot of leather work as and when. Thus, I guess, I may have a little experience and it may be therefore to me so easy but... it is not rocket science and many different kinds of materials can be used for such a case and many kinds of designs too.

In the military everyone used to, and probably still does, carry his personal KFS-set and it would some in its own holder or clipped together in some way.

As far as your personal KFS-set is concerned, especially if you are going to carry it to the office, then using a military version may not be what you would want and wish to use. Therefore, putting your own one together from what you have may be best. I have dome so from airline cutlery, where the tools are somewhat smaller that your standard table ware.

Whichever way, a proper, steel KFS-set, carried in a case on your person or such is the best way to go as it is sustainable, which one-way flatware is not.

So, let's hear it for the carrying of real flatware!

© 2011