Plastic cutlery may well be convenient, but it is certainly wasteful and as more and more research shows, detrimental to the environment. Outlery was cooked up as an alternative, consisting of a collapsible and reusable cutlery and chopstick sets that can be packed into a very manageable pocket-sized package.
According to the makers of Outlery, more than 80 billion single-use cutlery and chopstick pieces are tossed away every year. Its response was to design eco-friendly utensils that pack down into what it describes as the world's smallest cutlery set, so folks can easily slide it into their pocket or bag when eating is on the agenda.
Made from stainless steel, the collapsible cutlery and chopstick sets do away with plastic entirely and arrive in small cases made from recycled tin. In the case of the chopsticks, this measures just 80 by 24 mm (3.1 x 1 in), while the cutlery case measures 63 x 82 mm (2.4 x 3.2 in).
When meal time arrives, the various components of the fork, knife and spoon, or the pair of chopsticks, can simply be screwed together and put to the work. There's nothing hugely revolutionary here, but it is a nice design and admirable effort to help curb the problem of plastic waste.
And the Kickstarter community appears to agree, where the Outlery kits are currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign. Backers have pledged more than €500,000 at the time of writing, far surpassing the humble €5,000 goal. An early pledge of €18 (about US$20) will put you in line for a set of chopsticks, while €32 ($36) will see a set of cutlery headed your way in October if the campaign runs as planned.
You can check out the pitch video below.
Source: Outlery
It's a shame they placed their solitary goal is maximum compactness when they could have been more versatile with just a little more bulk. Make the handles of the cutlery longer and they could be used like Forkchops, the fork and knife set that can be reversed to be used like chopsticks. The patent on Forkchops expired quite a few years ago. Or at the very least, make the chopsticks longer. Short, Japanese-style chopsticks are uncomfortable for many. Chinese-style chopsticks at 11 inches or so work for everybody. Chopsticks that are too short can't be lengthened, while chopsticks that are a little longer than you prefer can still be used by gripping them lower.