You might remember a while back I wrote about my plastic pet peeve. One pervasive plastic product which really gets my goat is cutlery. Sure it’s convenient and affordable but it’s also an incredible waste of petroleum resources, and polluting to produce to boot.

In an effort to green my department at the Central Library I purchased some cutlery from Value Village. For a 12 piece set it's $3 to $4. I bought four sets and brought them prepared to say goodbye to plastic cutlery.

Nothing is ever so simple. Within two weeks most of our blue handled (read very distinctive) cutlery was gone. Vanished. Vamoose. Sucked into the bowels of the building. The trouble spot might be the communal dishwasher that all departments share. Where did they go after going through the rinse cycle?

What’s a greenie to do? Storm through Accounting and say “Stick ‘em up!?” Snoop in Human Resources to attempt to catch people red-handed? Raid Arts & Recreation’s office in balaclavas? Send out a whining email to the entire Central staff list? So many options... but no good ones.

I might break and buy more silverware, but I will not bend and buy plastic, even if my dinner depends on it!