Have you heard about people tossing out their coveted black plastic kitchen utensils? And why? But do we really have to, have to?
According to The Atlantic, the issue comes down to the flame retardants found in the recycled electronic parts that often go into these new utensils. Yes, old computer parts transformed into new spatulas are the culprit.
Basically, in manufacturing, many electronic parts are sprayed with chemicals that slow or stop fire. But then they get recycled and those products are rolled into all kinds of wares, including new kitchen stuff, and high temps can cause these chemicals to leach into food, drinks, and sometimes the air itself. Here’s more on the specifics from Green Science Policy of the harm flame retardants can cause.
The safest thing to do is replace your black plastic kitchen tools with wood, stainless steel or silicone utensils.
Unfortunately, chemical flame retardants are often:
- Toxic, in this case “associated with increased cancer risk, and impaired neurological and reproductive development.”
- Persistent, and don’t break down in the environment.
- Bioaccumulative, so they stick around and build up in our bodies.
So, that isn’t good. Can’t we just avoid the goods that are marked as recycled then? Not really. The Atlantic reports: “Consumers have no way to tell which black plastics might be recycled e-waste and which aren’t.”
It’s safest to throw them away, right in the trash, so these don’t get recycled and the toxic cycle starts all over. Or contact the brand who sold yours to make sure their products are free of contaminants like flame retardants. I’ve had my black utensils a long time [see photo for how beat up they’ve become], so I won’t risk it; ultimately, I’m about to be a waste-not, e-waste-not kind of person.
What now? Replace your black plastic kitchen utensils with wood, stainless steel or silicone. (Don’t use steel on the nonstick pans, please. It pulls up the nonstick coating.)