At Urthpact, we’re proud to be teaming up with plastic product recyclables leader Preserve to introduce a new line of environmentally-friendly, single-use cutlery that’s being rolled out March 1 in over 400 locations of a major national grocery chain that we can’t name quite yet.
It all started when UrthPact CEO Paul Boudreau announced that we’d been selected by Preserve to work with them in developing a novel, new line of earth-friendly cutlery made entirely from recycled #5 plastic that can continue to be recycled again and again. Right now, the new cutlery line is slated to be used in the grocery chain’s in-store cafes, available in dispensers also manufactured by UrthPact.
One of the factors that makes this project so unique is that it’s designed to integrate with Preserve’s highly successful Gimme 5 program aimed at capturing as much used polypropylene as possible. The recycled plastic products are then remanufactured into new plastic products such as toothbrushes and razor handles.
According to Paul Boudreau, the new cutlery line starts with 100% recycled polypropylene resin that does not rely on non-renewable resources for raw material. Virgin plastic requires large amounts of natural gas and oil for manufacturing feedstock and production.
The new cutlery features forks, knives, spoons, and soup spoons branded and distributed by Preserve. Once used, the cutlery can be deposited into on-site collection containers from which they will make their way back to the manufacturing facility to become new plastic products.
Eventually distribution of the new cutlery will expand to other retailers and food service outlets, but right now, it’s a significant achievement to gain national exposure in a high-profile retail grocery chain (you’ll recognize it as soon as we can announce it). There are even plans afoot to begin work on a new line of compostable cutlery that will safely break down into soil-enriching nutrients.
