Cutlery from plant waste

Single-use plastic is ubiquitous. The combination of low cost and high convenience makes it such a widespread product that we see it pretty much every day (sometimes multiple times) in some form or the other. Even if we stop using them at our homes, we will see them at restaurants, shops, stores. We all know that single-use plastic has a huge impact on the planet. One great alternative to single-use plastic cutlery is the new innovative biodegradable cutlery made from sugarcane waste.

Sugarcane waste is the product left behind after the juices are extracted from the sugarcane, it is called bagasse. It is a fibrous material and can be heat processed without adding any harmful chemicals such as binders or adhesives. After the heat process, the resulting material has a perfect use in cutlery because it’s sturdy, water resistant, oil resistant, and microwave-safe. It is not just great for the earth, it’s also good for us as we know that eating food in plastic containers has harmful health effects.

The best part of products made from sugarcane waste is that they are not just plant based, they are from plant waste. The plant is already harvested to extract the juice, this is just a by-product of that process. Hence you are not using any virgin forest resources or trees to create these products.

It is amazing to see that mother nature has already provided us such good materials in abundance. It is just a matter of exploring these treasures and harnessing them instead of creating new plastics and materials each time. Each time we upcycle any ‘waste’, we are moving one step ahead in the right direction to save our planet and eventually us!