Reducing our reliance on single-use items is a priority shared by almost every country. Now, with restaurants and retailers on board and consumers no longer expecting these items, the focus shifts to replacing them. A reusable cutlery set is the answer. As society catches up and budget constraints will continue to limit these outlets in extending reusable cutlery sets, the responsibility falls on us to have them ready on hand.
Reusable cutlery set
By investing in a reusable cutlery set, you are always ready to drink, eat and enjoy whatever the day throws at you without having to rely on single-use plastic. If you haven’t build your reusable cutlery kit yet, here is what you should be including.
Oh, and you better believe these reusable cutlery sets all come from Melbourne makers. Now let’s get into the tips and best reusable cutlery set reccomendations.
Reusable coffee cups
There really is no excuse not to have a reusable coffee cup these days, so make sure this is a primary reusable cutlery set to have in your bag, car or on your work desk. The most well-known brand has to be KeepCup, offering plastic and glass reusable coffee cups. KeepCup founder, Abigail Forsyth, brought this brand to life after being fed up with the waste seen at her own cafe and making a pledge in 2009 for KeepCup to raise reuse rates by 30%. In 2017, this became a reality.
Frank Green is another great reusable coffee cup brand, and their unique shapes and designs have made them quite popular in Melbourne and beyond. Frank Green comes straight from South Melbourne and has built a customer base in the UK and USA. If you are someone who likes a tangible result, Frank Green claim you can offset the creation and materials of your resizable coffee cup in just 15 uses.
Reusable straws
Reusable straws are one of the more recent items in the reusable cutlery set, made from bamboo, metal and even recycled materials. Activated Eco is yet another Melbourne brand challenging single-use plastic and are small enough to slip into any bag, many even coming in a box or drawstring bag. When they arrived made arrived in bars and cafes, many consumers took them home and now you can expect to only see them at fine establishments so it’s best to have one (or a couple) of your own.
Reusable cutlery set
You won’t need to be convinced that the Just Utensils deserve space in your life, as the colourful and quirky brand is as fun as it is functional. Each Just Utensils kit includes a knife, fork, spoon and chopsticks. Find them in grey, butter cream, mint, sky blue, black, beige, green, blue and pink. However, these products are not biodegradable they are recyclable and made from 100% polypropylene, known to be one of the safest plastics, heat resistance, food-grade and BPA free.
Other reusable products
These reusable cutlery sets go a long way but it’s important to support these efforts with other reusable products that you can bring with you on the go. The best part? Most of these items are already in your possession.
Reusable containers
Keeping a small and a large reusable container on hand is a fantastic idea to store food, hand anything messy, and to be in a position to say no when you are offered single-use plastic. In fact, lots of modern grocers will have no trouble weighing your reusable container and filling it will (with food, liquid, etc) and then putting the price on your container. This saves them handing over another single-use plastic items and allows you to do your bit.
Reusable bands
Rubber bands are always useful – at home, at work, everywhere! However, with a bit of planning, you can actually prepare for these times and have some reusable bands on hand. Or you might even want to get through the rubber bands that you do still have around the house. Grab a handful of reusable bands and store them in your kitchen, work desk, bag, wallet – wherever!
Reusable bags
There is no excuse not to have a reusable bag with you at all times. Just about every supermarket and grocery makes these available to customers. Get in the habit of keeping them in your boot or with your reusable cutlery set. That way, you will never rely on single-use plastic bags. Secondly, buying a tote or carrier from a small business is also another great way to support stores and brands. We love our Wide Open Road Cafe tote, so always check out what merch your locale is selling
Be sure to check out our latest articles in lifestyle and culture, always exploring ways to reduce our impact. If you buy a reusable cutlery set – we would love to know which one you like!
