Environmentalists say that paper cutlery might not be the best alternative to plastic. And this time, it doesn’t just stop at nature.
Story so far: According to environmentalists, paper cutlery is usually lined with plastic or has some sort of a wax coating on it. This adversely affects both the environment and people’s health. These products also cannot be recycled as their layers are fused.
- The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) says that any product with a plastic lining is considered banned. Yet, on their list of banned products, paper cutlery finds no mention.
- Environmentalists believe that this is just another loophole for plastic production.
Health hazard: Unlike plastics, there is no mechanism in place to medically test paper cutlery. There is no way to prove that it is food safe, and more often than not, the plastic and wax get mixed up in the food on a paper plate. Since they can’t be recycled, they also just add to landfills.