It’s picnic time in Sydney. The local parks are full of people draping festive rugs on the ground. The lush pop of wine bottles being uncorked fills the air and the smell of swilled beer fills your nostrils. People munch on pies, chicken drumsticks, frittata and gourmet sandwiches filled with artichokes and freshly cut organic ham.
Laughter coats the land, children frolic, dogs sprawl in the sun. Someone starts a singalong. It’s an AC/DC number – high voltage rock’n’roll. Before long the whole park is singing.
So what is wrong with this picture? Nothing at all apart from the hundreds of plastic forks, spoons, polystyrene cups and plates left behind once the picnickers have gone. Over 40 billion polystyrene utensils are dumped in landfill each year. And guess what? They might be disposable but they’re not biodegradable.
But fear not, fair picnickers, there is an eco-friendly alternative known as vegware. It’s cutlery and tableware made from natural starch and fibres.
Knives, forks and spoons are made from corn and potato starch; and plates, bowls and spoons from cassava starch. The utensils are washable, heat resistant and biodegrade in up to 90 days.
So the next time you’re having a picnic in the park, don’t forget to eat with your vegies. And afterwards, when they begin to biodegrade, don’t panic and think the little piles of mashed goo are the poops of a mutant race of albino ponies – just think of how much you’ve done to reduce landfill!
Selma In The City 
Wow… I’ve heard nothing about these. I wonder if they’re available here.
Thanks for rubbing in the nice weather you’re having 😛 f-n snow, rain and 23 degrees (fahrenheit) here.
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All I can imagine now is a park filled with a thousand Bon Scotts. Now, you got me singing uncontrollably! 🙂
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I love this idea and have eaten with them, though they barely last one meal, unfortunately, as they are quite malleable. And I don’t even know why they bother making a knife at all…Happy pincnicking!
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That is so awesome that I want to reach through the screen and kiss your face.
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tesco – sorry about the weather. It is a lovely day here – the birds are singing, the butterflies are flitting by, I’m whiling away the time sipping iced tea….but in typical, never happy with what you’ve got fashion, I long for a bit of snow. I was a keen snowboarder until I did my knee in and I miss the snow, especially at Christmas. A couple of years ago I spent Christmas with my sister in Alaska. It was unbelievable. I loved it! Want to swap?
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Chris – Bon Scott is a god over here. All the kids at my son’s school wear AC/DC T-shirts under their school shirts (we wear uniforms in Australia.) My son, of course, likes to be different, he alternates between The Who and Queens Of The Stone Age. He also dabbles in Black Sabbath. I often wonder where the days went when he used to listen to The Wiggles!
PWADJ – I was given a set as a present but I haven’t used them yet. I didn’t realise they didn’t last. I suppose mashed potato isn’t all that tough under pressure…..
Heather – please do. I’ve just put on my Maybelline Summer Sparkle lipstick in a very fetching shade of pink. My four year old niece who is very susceptible to advertising jingles and who bought me the lipstick from a two dollar sale bin has been singing all morning – “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline!” I am puckering right now !
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The boy’s got taste!
Sorry to be so out of line from this topic. I get elated when someone mentions rock music. I’m just that shallow, I guess.
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We have an AC/DC Lane in Melbourne… 😉
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That is AWESOME.
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Chris – I am a huge fan of going off on a tangent and also of rock. My husband runs one of the last independent CD shops in Sydney. His biggest sellers – 60s and 70s rock. There’s nothing shallow about you, I can tell. Rock rules as far as I’m concerned and blues(JB Lenoir) and 50s lounge(Billy May) and folk(Nick Drake.) Hey, all music rules if it brightens your day!
Daoine – I have heard about that lane. Sounds like a true Aussie classic.
Meleah – I agree, it is awesome.
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great idea! I think I’ve heardof them before but haven’t bought any.
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Haha! Good God, no! Waaaayyyy to cold for me 🙂
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If I have to go with disposable, then I will definitely go with those. We’re finally getting into some decent recycling/composting programs with our regular garbage pick-up. It may involve some sorting, but now we can recycle used pizza boxes (not that WE have that many, but those stupid paper coffee cups are going to kill me yet), and kitchen waste (as long as there’s no plastic in it. It’s about time!
Music is my drug of choice. I grew up with classical, rock, moved on to alternative, some jazz… I’m pretty picky, but I do have a very ecclectic taste.
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Craft Green – I’m going to try mine out next week. As long as I can still spear a snag with them (Aussie for sausage) I’ll be happy.
Tesco – only teasing you, hon. Alaska is way too cold for anyone/
Karen – we have a pretty good recycling program here too. Music is also my drug of choice – what a good way to put it!
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