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Disposable cutlery is experiencing an eco-evolution in recent years. Single-use plastic cutlery has been banned in the UK from October 2023 (government research estimated that around four billion single-use cutlery are used each year). The banned list includes petroleum-based plastics and bioplastics, which are derived from plants or other biological materials.
In the UK and EU, disposable spoons are most likely made from paper, wood (probably birch) or something like bagasse (a compostable by-product of sugar cane), such as those found in the London fast food chain Nusa Kitchen. Bamboo is also preferred because it replenishes very quickly. In terms of biodegradability and renewability, all of these materials are preferable to plastic.
However, when it comes to the quality of the dining experience, you will most likely hit a roadblock. A common complaint about wooden utensils is their “embarrassing” mouthfeel. The M&S ones make me shudder. They also break easily. Utensils made from other materials (including bagasse) fall apart. When Pret a Manger replaced its plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery in 2018, the chain faced a huge backlash because the spoons were deemed too shallow for eating soup. Its UK stores now offer a cardboard version with a deeper cavity and a “pleasant soft feel” (from Belgian supplier Sabert). But even that makes for a pretty unpleasant dining experience, and how eco-friendly is it anyway?
According to Pret, cardboard comes from sustainably managed forests and can be recycled along with other paper-based items. But this requires quite judicious classification. At my local Pret, there is a container for everything. A spokesperson adds: “Although cutlery is recyclable, its size and weight mean it is not always sorted or processed effectively once it reaches its destination.” [recycling facilities]. “That’s why we put great emphasis on trying to reduce our environmental impact in other ways, such as sourcing all our cutlery from renewable resources.”
End-of-life solutions for cutlery are a constant problem. In May 2023, Itsu introduced the world’s first paper fork, a feat of engineering that solved the difficulties of pressing a spoon into paper that could retain its structure. The pink fork is industrially compostable and recyclable. But despite separate containers for (1) clean cans, bottles and plastic lids, (2) pots, boxes, lids, cups and spoons and (3) everything else, (2) waste, which is contaminated enough to be more difficult to recycle, and (3) is bundled and sent to Energy from Waste (EFW) facilities. Better than the landfill. But not recycled or composted. Itsu told me that fork recycling would begin in select stores this fall.
The American chain Sweetgreen has long committed to ensuring that nothing inside its stores goes to landfill. This was not always true. Their cutlery is made with compostable vegetable plastic. In certain markets, municipal composting has not been available. When this is the case, facilities often reject bioplastics. Sweetgreen has been exploring “closed-loop” systems for collecting and processing its compostable waste, such as those adopted by festivals and “zero waste” companies like Microsoft.
Perhaps the most important problem is what happens when the cutlery leaves the premises. What are customers supposed to do with this? Paper utensils, once rinsed, should be acceptable in household paper and card recycling, but are often separated because they are too small and end up in general trash. As for compostable items, I have access to food waste collection through my local council. But compostable cutlery is not allowed. Bagasse is usually promoted as home compostable, but Nusa Kitchen scoops are marked for industrial composting only. Just like paper utensils from leading supplier Vegware that have a laminated finish. It is not of much use to consumers who do not have access to places where compost is produced industrially. Arguably the most compostable spoon is made from untreated wood. If placed in a homemade compost pile, it will behave in the same way as twigs.
Providers like Restaurant items and Biophase They are developing utensils made from palm leaves and avocado pits. But environmental activists argue that the answer is not more items made from more sustainable materials, but a shift from throw-and-go culture toward reuse and return. France’s ban on disposable dining cutlery has forced establishments like Pret to adopt reusable metal cutlery, which some see as a model for the future.
“Choose to reuse,” says Natalie Fée, founder of the campaign group City to the sea and author of How to save the world for free. “Bring your own cutlery. If they give you a single-use spoon, wash it and reuse it several times and extend its life cycle.” Itsu was ahead of the game in 2019 when it introduced its metal “spoon for life.” Unlike shopping bags, coffee cups or reusable water bottles, the idea was not successful. But, five years later, has the time come for the reusable spoon?