In our world of convenience, plastic utensils are everywhere. They come with your Postmates orders, you use them with your unexpected takeout lunches, and are available at practically every birthday party or casual dinner gathering. I personally can’t remember the last time I ate a birthday cake with actual silverware. 40 billion disposable plastic utensils are used in the United States each year, and with the increasing availability of takeout and delivery options (Seamless, Uber Eats, Tapingo, etc.) this number is predicted to rise. What’s worse? Most plastic utensils are made out of polystyrene #6, which is incredibly difficult to recycle (and carcinogenic). In general, polystyrene is not accepted in curbside collection recycling programs. In Los Angeles, however, plastics #1 through #7 are accepted in curbside Blue Bin recycling programs, but the caveat is that all plastic needs to be clean in order for it to be recycled. The capacity of LA’s recycling system is also up for debate, but that’s a whole different story. Thinking back personally to the last time I used plastic utensils, I cannot guarantee that I licked them entirely clean or ran them under water before recycling them. I’m sure there was some Chipotle guac left on there as I threw it in the recycling bin. Nevertheless, Los Angeles — and California in general — is ahead of the trends in terms of environmental reform and recycling initiatives, and many communities cannot recycle polystyrene #6 in the first place.

Since getting back into the swing of school I have found myself spending way more time on campus eating lunch and grabbing iced tea (in my glass cup, of course) between classes. That being said, I have found myself quite a few times eating my Açaí bowl with a plastic spoon and feeling guilty for throwing it in the trash (because USC sorts our trash instead of teaching students how to recycle responsibly!). I found myself carrying my plastic utensils home so that I could recycle them at the end of the day. So at about week two, I began carrying around a little plastic-free to-go kit in my backpack. Most days I wrap a fork, knife and metal straw in one of my reusable bamboo fiber “paper” towels and stick it in the front pocket of my backpack. Some days I’ll add in some metal chopsticks if I’m planning for a sushi lunch or an extra straw if I know I’m grabbing coffee with a friend. Now, whenever I am on campus for lunch, I am prepared with my own silverware and don’t need to rely on the plastic utensils available on campus.

So that brings me to this month’s sustainable lifestyle challenge: create your own plastic-free to-go kit. Plastic use is all about convenience, so make plastic-free utensils convenient for you this month.

Going to campus for a long day? Throw a little set in your backpack. Headed to a food festival (Smorgasburg anyone?)? Throw a little set in your purse. Going on a long flight? Pack a bamboo set that is sure to pass through security. Do you drive everywhere you go? Keep a kit in your car. I honestly keep two sets wrapped and ready to go at all times so that I never get stuck needing to use plastic utensils.

This is one small act you can take this month that can easily turn into a habit. Shop some of my favorite pre-packaged plastic-free to-go kits below, or use my favorite components to create your own! And don’t forget to share photos of your plastic-free to go kit with me on Instagram or Facebook to be featured in the challenge recap at the end of the month!

Pre-Packaged To-Go Kits

Components

straws

utensils

bamboo paper towels

This month’s challenge is really focused on utensils, but I will be updating this post at the end of the month with other plastic-free to-go items that I began carrying with me. If you want to get going on this now, I would suggest keeping a reusable water bottle or mason jar with you, and also consider throwing some beeswax wrap into your kit (to wrap up snacks or goodies on the go).

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