College fine dining usually consists of microwaved ramen or easy mac eaten on a too small dorm bed with plastic silverware. If it weren't for plastic silver-wear, most college kids would be starved because frankly we all think we don't have the time, patience or stomach to wash the spoon that's been sitting in our only bowl for three weeks and has grown fur on it. First world problems aside, plastic silver-wear is doing more than saving us from actually being adults and washing the dishes, it's polluting the earth even if the label says "biodegradable".
Within the consumer goods market and through media outlets we've seen the term 'biodegradable' thrown around pretty frequently, but not all biodegradable products are made the same. Now petroleum based plastics, the ones we see in most plastic consumer products, such as food containers, bottles and toys, never really "degrade". They may degrade towards smaller microscopic particles but they never truly get reabsorbed by the earth. rather they release harmful chemicals as they decompose, and remain as microscopic plastic particles where they can be eaten and consumed by animals and make their way through the food chain and ecological system. True biodegradable materials degrade back into the environment and are able to be reabsorbed into the earth fully without leeching harmful chemicals into the environment in the process.
We all love the magic that is street tacos. Food wrapped up in a warm tortilla, everything edible with little to no mess. Now imagine if all food was able to be consumed in the same way. As much as I'd like all my meals consumed between the warm layers of a fresh tortilla, some people may disagree. That's where the Indian company Bakeys comes in. They've managed to design and manufacture utensils, that are edible and fully biodegradable. 120 billion pieces of plastic utensils are used and thrown away in India each year, which translates to a massive impact on the environment not only in Inida, but also the Earth as a whole.
The spoons are made out of millet flour, a more eco-friendly alternative to rice flour as millet plants require much less water than their rice counterparts, preventing a drain on the environments supply of freshwater as well. The spoon come in a variety of flavors: sugar, carrot & beet, ginger &garlic, black pepper, celery, ginger & cinnamon, mint & ginger, and cumin. The utensils degrade within 3-7 days if not eaten by people or animals or bugs, allowing people to choose whether or not they want to eat their utensils as well.
You'd think an ingenious idea such as this would be catching on faster than you could eat one of their spoons. Currently the company has an active KickStarter campaign which has amassed over 9,000 followers with a fundraising total of over $275,000. Pledgers of $10 and above will receive a pack of 100 edible spoons to try out, with more spoons being given out to high donors based on fundraising levels. So why not donate the cost of less than a week's worth of coffee and try out the newest innovation in ridding the world of plastic waste!
