A cup of novelty

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Plastic cutlery gone from Finland

I think plastic has always been problematic even if it is not the main pollutant. I don’t know what is the situation of plastic in other countries, but one thing is certain plastic cups and cutlery are no longer sold in Finland. They have been replaced with those made from recyclable materials, cardboard, or wood. To be honest, I think it’s a very good action, even if we will have to have our glasses from home in the event of a picnic, party or barbecue.
Although plastic is not necessarily the main polluting factor, it is important to take a stand in all directions. I was talking a few weeks ago with someone from Greenpeace Suomi about the problem of plastic in the oceans and beyond, and how much aquatic animals suffer from this point of view. So the first step was taken. Good job Finland!

Photo source: www.temashop.fi

But because when you remove something, you have to bring a replacement, cardboard cups and wood cutlery have appeared more and more. I don’t know how things are in this direction in other European countries, but I personally enjoy every step taken in the right way.

Maybe we wonder from time to time, what happens to the plastic we throw in the trash? How much of that plastic is recycled? Or what happens to it when it can no longer be recycled? Where does it end up? Questions to which we find painful answers. Based on IUCN reports, ”at least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year, and makeup 80% of all marine debris from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.” Very worrying I might say.

Photo source: eur.shein.com

This set of cutlery is just one example. There is other cutlery made from recycled plastic or wood. To be honest, they seem even more resistant compared to the old ones made of that white plastic and very poor quality. So for the next barbecue or picnic, I won’t have to worry about what dishes I use for food and drinks. Even at my work, the people from the canteen have already changed the coffee cups I take every morning. I make my second coffee alone in the team space room, in my own mug.

Also, dishes that contain bamboo flour or rice flour are prohibited in Finland. Based on ruokavirasto.fi, ”these products do not comply with food contact material law and so their safety cannot be verified.”

From my point of view, Finland has taken the reins quite seriously, towards a more responsible life for its citizens and towards a less polluting country. However, it is necessary that the other European countries, and not only, get involved at least as much as Finland is involved. I think we would see results pretty quickly.
That’s all for today for my dear readers. If you know of countries that are trying to implement pollution reduction, or if you have questions on the subject, I am waiting for you in the comments section. Have a nice Sunday!

DEEA OLIVIA

Sources: http://www.iucn.org, http://www.ruokavirasto.fi

Deea Olivia

July 11, 2021

Lifestyle

#climatechange, #environment, #finland, #life, #nature, #plasticpollution, #pollution, #responsability, #savetheplanet, Lifestyle

2 responses to “Plastic cutlery gone from Finland”

mrsandee

July 11, 2021 at 3:20 pm

You raise a good point. However, plastic products are not the problem, it’s how they are handled after use. Plastic, which is a petroleum product, is easily melted down and re-used. But that all depends on two things: One, that they are properly recycled and two that people don’t just throw their trash anywhere they wish. Did you know there are actually small islands of discarded plastic products floating in some oceans? That tells me that either governments are not doing their job or that people are just pigs. Shifting over to wooden implements sounds great but then we have the problem of chopping down trees to make spoons…not a good alternative in my opinion. So, since the government has failed….simply banning something is easy and they feel they’ve done their job…it may be up to we citizens of the world to take control of this problem. As a first step, we must ensure that we place our trash in the appropriate receptacles and that we use old fashioned metal flatware or glass/ceramic drinking vessels and avoid plastic implements. But, that doesn’t solve the fast food problem. I don’t think McDonald’s is going to give out metal flatware to its customers. Be that as it may, all things begin with small steps and properly recycling items is a small step in the right direction. We must pressure our governments to stop shifting the blame onto us by banning plastics and instead encouraging our governments and industries to up the rate of recycling.

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Deea Skye

July 11, 2021 at 3:42 pm

Hello there and thank you for your comment. I agree with you on government involvement. What I wanted to express is that Finland uses wood or cardboard to replace glasses and cutlery, because here while a tree is being cut down, dozens of other trees are being planted. So we don’t have to worry about trees and forests themselves.
As for Mcdonald’s, the plastic straws have already been removed and the glasses are made of cardboard, and the trays are made of wood or the old plastic ones that were already purchased before this phenomenon grew.
As the title says, all these joyful things happen in Finland. Fortunately, the government is quite involved in making available all waste sorting resources and useful information for citizens’ questions.
Thank you for your involvement and for your complex comment. I hope you liked the article and I wish you a great Sunday!

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