The Last Thing You Should Do with All That Plastic Cutlery from Your Takeout Order

published Jul 20, 2021
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Someone taking plastic cutlery out of bag.
Credit: Sarah Crowley

Have you ever ordered takeout for two, only to unpack the bag at home and find enough packs of plastic utensils to serve a crowd? “Did we really order that much food?” you’ve undoubtably asked yourself more than once. Probably not. You just happened to get a lot of plastic forks, spoons, and knives! What to do with them? You could toss them, but that’d be a waste! You could stash them in a kitchen drawer and then, most likely, promptly forget about them. (Food tastes better at home on a real fork, anyway!) Or, you can steal this idea …

Credit: Sarah Crowley

Store Leftover Plastic Cutlery in Your Car

Gather up all that plastic cutlery (yes, even the stuff that’s sitting in a neglected drawer right now!) and store it in your vehicle’s glove box. This way, you’ll always be prepared. For example, maybe you decide to pack up an impromptu lunch in the park. Cutlery is already in the car! Maybe you’re on a road trip and you didn’t get a fork at the drive-thru? You’re covered! Or maybe you packed lunch for work? Grab a fork and knife from the car!

Some cutlery comes already bundled (with a napkin and maybe even some salt and pepper packets). In that case, you can just toss them right into your glove box. If the stuff is loose, consider putting in a zip-top bag to keep things clean and sanitary.

Also, it’s important to note that a lot of online order systems allow you to opt out of receiving utensils in your order. If you’re already up to your eyeballs in sporks, it may be worth checking that box.

Do you have other ideas for using plastic cutlery from takeout orders? Tell us in the comments below.