Skip to content
At the end of November 2019, a young male sperm whale died after becoming stranded on a Scottish island. A ball of debris - weighing 220 pounds - was found in his stomach. That debris was made up of plastic - sections of net, plastic cups and tubing to name a few.
He’s not alone. This whale in Italy, this whale in the Phillipines and this pregnant whale with her unborn fetus have all suffered similar fates.
Who’s to blame? We are. Plastics make up the entire top 10 items list collected during the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, with plastic forks, knives, and spoons taking the number 4 spot (they found 1,968,065!). If this trend continues, by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean by weight, than fish.
So what can we do? We can make a better, more sustainable choice! Here are a couple of solutions to combat the single-use plastic problem, and keep the whales - and oceans - happy and healthy for years to come.
To Take With You
GoSun Flatware
The newest offering by Solar Energy Experts, GoSun, is Flatware: reusable utensils that fit in your wallet, purse or pocket and will end the need for single-use plastic utensils once and for all. Flatware is the first of its kind - it’s the only reusable cutlery set on the planet you can fit into your wallet.
The spoon and fork duo is super easy to use. Just pop them out of their self-contained case (protecting you from unwanted food stains and grease!), slide the utensils out and lock them into place. When you’re finished - clean them off and stow them away!
The ease of use and unmatched portability make Flatware the ideal travel buddy. You’ll never have an excuse again to use single-use with while on the go! Cafe, campsite, cafeteria, airport - the list goes on.
See GoSun Flatware here.
Parties, Picnics, or Bulk Use
TwentyFifty 100% Compostable Spoons and Forks.
Named after the year 2050 - the year the population is projected to reach 10 billion and when it’s estimated that the amount of plastic waste in the ocean will exceed the amount of fish - TwentyFifty has one mission: to stop, or at least significantly reduce, plastic pollution. They are doing this with cutlery. The first, and only, true compostable alternative to single-use plastic you can compost in your own backyard compost pile.
With many plastic bans about to go in place, TwentyFifty differs from other supposedly ‘compostable’ brands whose utensils (made from corn starch) require commercial composters that get to at least 200 degrees F to compost them. Even then, a sticky, resin-like material is left that is both good for the soil and also a cause of methane gas. If you were to discard these other brand’s cutlery in a backyard compost, it would take two years (or more) for them to fully decompose. Government agencies, corporate cafeterias and shops need to know that if they want to make a difference, they need to make the right choices.
Read more about what ‘commercial composting’ truly means:
Is Compostable Cutlery Really Breaking Down?
Compostable (Worse Than Plastic?)
A TwentyFifty fork or spoon is truly composted - like in your backyard composted - in 30 days or less. And according to founder, Zack Kong, actually provides a significant amount of nutrients for your plants. They’re also essentially edible - made from wheat, soy and corn flour and water. The forks and spoons are available in boxes of 12, or in bulk for a discount.
Photo: the cup on the left contains a current ‘compostable’ spoon after 60 days in water. The cup on the right holds what’s left of a TwentyFifty Spoon - as you can see, almost completely dissolved.
