Plastic is one of the most enduring materials that man makes. It takes anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years for it to degrade, yet half of the plastic we produce we use only once. We are a species of such exquisite folly! In 2012, 288 million tons of plastic were manufactured globally is it any wonder scientists warn thatEarth will be buried by increasing layers of plastic wastedue to human activity?

But its a concern that many people have taken to heart. Last week we wrote about Narayana Peesapaty, for example,who has designed edible cutlery to be used in India. HisKickstarterhas raised all kinds of money, showing that the crowds agree eating the utensils after eating dinner is much better than plastering the planet with them.

Inspired by Peesapatys idea, Yuka Yoneda’s atinhabitatset out on a mission to bake her own edible cutlery, and success was hers! More or less. She found that knives lacked structural integrity, and things looked a bit wonky; but overall her fork (more spork than fork) and spoon worked well and lasted for three hours after contact with food before becoming soggy.

Her recipe couldnt be simpler. Is it practical? Probably not. Unless you fall into the DIY-or-die camp, the effort to handcraft cracker cutlery would likely only serve special occasions, but its such a fun idea. They would be great for picnics and hikes, and awesome for a kids project and party. And if nothing else, they are a fantastic conversation piece … and talking about plastic waste is a really great conversation to be having.

Here’s the how-to:

See photos and step-by-step instructions atinhabitat.

Written by Melissa Breyer. Reposted with permission from TreeHugger.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Make Your Own Edible Utensils!