Are you aware that on 5 June 2020 Kenya effected a ban on single-use plastics in all her protected areas including beaches, national parks, conservation areas, and forests? This means that if the Saturday plan with your family is to have a picnic at Baboon Cliff and later on camp at Makalia Falls in Lake Nakuru National Park, then plastic forks, spoons, and knives aren’t invited!

Why?

Table Of Contents

The Problem With Plastic Cutlery

How Different Business Entities and Countries Have Stopped Using Plastic Cutlery

        The Irony Of Plastic Cutlery Delivered At Home

Benefits of a Bamboo Cutlery Set

What’s In Our Bamboo Cutlery Set?

         Bamboo-only Set

         Bamboo Mixed With Metal Straws Set

When You Can Use The Bamboo Cutlery Set

Yes, Carrying Your Cutlery Set Is Cool

The Problem With Plastic Cutlery

The global plastic cutlery market was valued at approximately U.S 2.6 billion dollars in 2017. Convenience is the major driver of this market. People have adopted a throw-away culture where this cutlery is thrown after use.

The throw-away culture is so acceptable, that we bet you, people may look at you weirdly if you removed a set of reusable travel cutlery from your bag!

Instead of getting embarrassed, use the opportunity to show them the problem with plastic cutlery, as discussed below:

1. Plastic utensils are the seventh most commonly collected plastic item during beach cleanups, according to 5Gyres’ compiled beach-cleanup data.
2. Plastic cutlery is listed as among items that are most deadly to sea birds, turtles, and mammals.
3. Single-use plastics litter national parks and reserves, where animals mistake them for food, endangering their lives.

   

4. Plastic cutlery have a high carbon footprint. They’re derived from fossil fuel, and a lot of energy and carbon is emitted during their production.
5. Plastic cutlery are an eyesore as they fill our landfills. Although they are recyclable, they’re reportedly not acceptable to most facilities.
6. Plastics are filling even the top of our mountains. 11 tons of trash left by climbers and tourists have been taken off Mount Everest, leading to the banning of single-use plastics in the region. In Kenya, no PET plastic bottles are allowed on Mount Kenya.

How Different Business Entities and Countries Have Stopped Using Plastic Cutlery

1. Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter airline headquartered in Lisbon made its first step towards a flight free of single-use plastics, on December 26, 2018. They used cutlery made of reusable bamboo, planning to wash as many as 100 times.

This trial made the flight the first plastic-free flight in the world.

From January 1, 2020, the company has been flying without any single-use plastic on board.

2. Etihad Airways marked Earth Day on April 22 2019 by making the world’s longest plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Brisbane International Airport. The passengers got to eat their coffee cups as well!
3. France is the first country to ban plastic dinnerware and cutlery.
4. Nyama Mama in Nairobi, Kenya is one of the restaurants that have replaced plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery in their takeout orders.

The Nyama Mama example brings us right into the issue of plastic cutlery in takeout orders:

The Irony Of Plastic Cutlery Delivered At Home

The Jumia Food Index Report estimates the market size for food and beverage in Kenya to be about Ksh. 830-880 billion. Mr. Peter Ndiang’ui, former OLX general manager and co-founder and CEO of Go-BEBA, estimates that Kenyans have been ordering between 6,000 and 10,000 servings of food daily, through delivery services.

Ordering-in is a great option for quiet and lazy weekends. So, you call your favorite restaurant and within an hour or less, your food is delivered.

The first thing you interact with is probably plastic packaging if the restaurant hasn’t already switched to eco-friendly packaging. Then, you encounter plastic cutlery.

Now, if we assumed that only half of these 6,000 to 10,000 daily servings came with plastic cutlery- a fork, spoon and knife, we’d have a minimum of 9,000 single-use plastics delivered in homes daily, translating to about 3.2 million single-use plastics annually. These are most likely headed to the landfill, because very few recycling facilities accept them.

Remember, this is just an estimation, and Jumia expected the market to grow by 50% in 2020!

But, why deliver plastic cutlery to a home or office?

Honestly, you don’t need plastic cutlery delivered to your home or office as you already have cutlery for your daily use. This is a ridiculous and wasteful habit.

So, the next time you’re ordering from home or the office, please request the restaurant NOT to package cutlery, even if they’re eco-friendly options!

What if you’re traveling, going for a picnic, or camping with friends?

Then, only buy from restaurants that use ecofriendly packaging and join the Bring Your Own (BYO) cutlery movement by investing in a bamboo cutlery set:

Here’s what they bring to the table:

Benefits of a Bamboo Cutlery Set

1. Durable- They’re made of high-quality, 100% strong-fiber durable bamboo that won’t stain, warp or break after several uses.
2. Biodegradable- Once they’ve reached the end of their life, bamboo cutlery is easily composted at home.
3. Reusable- Bamboo is naturally antibacterial, long-lasting, and easy to clean
4. Smooth texture- The smooth texture gives a nice soft feeling in your hand, and a comfortable and gentle eating experience.
5. Lightweight- This makes them very easy to travel with.
6. Stylish- They’re stylishly great conversation starters.

What’s In Our Bamboo Cutlery Set?

We have three alternatives- Bamboo only set and bamboo mixed with rosegold or silver metal straws set.

Bamboo-only Set

It is an 8-piece set consisting of:

• A sharp bamboo fork
• A serrated blade bamboo knife
• A round bamboo spoon
• A pair of bamboo chopsticks
• One bamboo juice straw
• One bamboo smoothie straw
• One juice straw cleaning brush
• One smoothie straw cleaning brush
• A canvas travel pouch

Bamboo Mixed With Metal Straws Set

This is a 9-piece set with metal straws (stainless steel 304), you can pick your preferred metal straw colours.

• A sharp bamboo fork 
• A serrated blade bamboo knife
• A round bamboo spoon
• A pair of bamboo chopsticks
• One bamboo juice straw
• One metal smoothie straw straight
• One metal juice straw bent
• One juice straw cleaning brush
• One smoothie straw cleaning brush
• A canvas travel pouch

When You Can Use The Bamboo Cutlery Set

• Wedding
• Traveling
• Camping
• Picnicking
• BBQ
• Road trip
• Dinner party
• Team-building events
• Family gathering

Yes, Carrying Your Cutlery Set Is Cool

Add a bamboo cutlery set to your travel bag, and help us continue the BYO cutlery conversation.

*Don’t be mean. Be Green*