There are alternatives!
Now, the root of the issue in this article is how convenient disposables are right? Not very possible to wash dishes for 100 people each week (well, unless EVERYONE is damn 'on'). There are BIODEGRADEABLE disposable tableware out there, made from materials like rice husks (yeah, you could even eat them if you wanted to, but not recommended ;)). Solves your landfill problem and the matter of inconvenience doesn't it? We just need to support such green initiatives and companies when they start-up! Get the products in the stores. Have choices!
We have brains don't we? We can solve problems and be innovative with them! Think people, think!
Plastic tableware still wrong
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, April 5, 2007
Dear Amy: You are wrong to suggest that families shouldn't use disposable plates, cups and utensils for get-togethers!
Our families gather at least two or three times a month. We help to prepare and eat huge meals after church.
No one likes doing the dishes, even with a dishwasher!
Our solution is that we eat using disposable plastic plates with plastic forks and spoons.
The young folks argue about taking out the trash, but the cooks sit down with the menfolk and enjoy the event.
Paper goods are on the list for people who don't cook when we do "potluck."
We may fill in the landfill, but what a ride!
Joyce in Nashville
Dear Joyce: Thank you for giving me another opportunity to advocate against the use of disposable plates and cutlery for family get-togethers.
As a churchgoer, you should recognize that being a good steward to this planet is a spiritual issue. According to the World Resources Institute, the average person in an industrialized country generates 4 pounds of garbage each day.
Now that it's almost picnic season, let's try to take our own plates, cups and cutlery to gatherings, packing them up and bringing them home afterward. I have a set of tin plates, mismatched cutlery and plastic cups that reside permanently in the picnic basket for this purpose.
Common-sense ways to reduce waste are available from the World Resources Institute at www.earthtrends.wri.org.
I welcome suggestions from readers on how to be more responsible and Earth-friendly while still enjoying ourselves.
Write to Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
Comments
I asked caterers this up front and chooose one who can supply me with tthe rice husk plates, thanks for the info all those years ago.
there's an extra space to your link from Earth Trends, should be:
www.earthtrends.wri.org.
nice article.