Who invented plastic spoons

They may have different textures or uniquely-shaped handles. For occasions that are semiformal, plasticware is available that resembles metal tableware. It may even come in clear or iridescent colors. Plastic makes many complicated shapes possible. Spoons, forks, and knives come in a variety of shapes including their favorite cartoons characters.

Before that, people used stainless steel and other materials to make the hybrid utensil. Plastics made sporks quicker and easier to make. There are many benefits of sporks.

Prisons use sporks because they are not easily made into weapons by the inmates. Outdoor enthusiast use sporks so they can save space by carrying around only one utensil rather than two. The way the spork combines cutlery to form a new, more useful eating tool has inspired others to do the same. A splayd is a utensil that combines a knife, a fork, and a spoon. When it was first widely used, consumers loved the benefits plastic brought to the kitchen.

This eliminated the need to use water, electricity, and manpower to wash them. For this reason, these disposable utensils became very popular with fast food restaurants and airlines. Before the invention of plastic, the only substances that could be molded were clays pottery and glass. Hardened clay and glass were used for storage, but they were heavy and brittle.

Some natural substances, like tree gums and rubber, were sticky and moldable. Used to produce polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, BPA is found in many drinking containers, the lining of most food and beverage cans including soda cans , bottle caps, plastic cutlery, plastic food storage containers, toys, dental sealants, some dental composites, water pipes, eyeglass lenses, and more. Non-toxic and totally reusable, you can wash them in the dishwasher or throw them in the microwave.

It is estimated that plastic cutlery such as plastic forks, knives and spoons would take over years to break down. This is in optimum conditions exposed to high amounts of sunlight so it can photodegrade. Unfortunately, these items often end up buried in a landfill where in theory they could last forever!

Currently, it is estimated that there are million tons of plastic in oceans around the world. More ornate sets could be made of gold or ivory, or even be collapsible for traveling light. By the early s sleek and rust-resistant stainless steel started to make an appearance. By World War II, an even newer material had worked its way into the cutlery mix: plastic. At first, plastic cutlery was considered reusable. Chris Witmore, a professor in archaeology and classics at Texas Tech University, remembers his grandmother washing her plastic tableware.

But as the post-war economy boomed, the frugal habits instilled by the Great Depression and an agrarian history faded. But Coffin said the French affinity for picnics also helped spur the single-use boom. Designer Jean-Pierre Vitrac, for example, invented a plastic picnic tray that had a fork, spoon, knife, and cup built right into it.

The sets were even available in bright colors—which Coffin said also helped make plastics popular. Today, the company buys 44 million disposable utensils per month in the U.

But convenience has come at a cost. Like many plastic items, utensils often find their way into the environment. According to beach-cleanup data compiled by the non-profit 5Gyres , utensils are the seventh most commonly collected plastic item. According to the airline, this was the first passenger flight in the world to be completely free of single-use plastics.

Hi Fly used a range of replacement materials, from paper to plant-based disposables. The cutlery was made from reusable bamboo, which the airline planned to take back to its catering facilities and wash—as many as times. The flight, the airline said, was its first step toward eliminating all single-use plastics by the end of Cutlery is part of the broader anti-plastics backlash. In , France was the first country to ban plastic dinnerware.

People around the world are experimenting with alternatives to plastic that range from potato starch and areca leaves to grain-based edible cutlery. Sales of such plastic substitutes remain relatively low, often hindered by higher costs and sometimes questionable environmental benefits. So-called bioplastic options , for example, made from plant-based materials, can require specific conditions to break down, and even they take energy and water to produce.

But the market for them and for other forms of biodegradable cutlery is growing. Three things you can do to be part of the solution :. If you use disposable cutlery, make sure it's made of a biodegradable or compostable material. A host of companies are creating utensils from plant-based materials, including wood. Some of them source materials from fast-growing trees like birch or bamboo; Canadian brand Aspenware includes excess wood from the lumber industry in its utensils.

A line of disposable wooden cutlery called Clickeat is one example. Adler first realized the extent of the plastic waste issue about 10 years ago, while surfing with a friend in Chile.

The beach was covered in plastic litter. Alarmed, Adler started talking with others about how to best address the issue. Setting out to design an alternative, they founded their company, Simplo. In China, environmentalists have campaigned for people to carry their own chopsticks. The online marketplace Etsy has a whole section dedicated to reusable cutlery.