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Truth be told, plastic plates and silverware (labeled with #6 underneath as their resin identification code) are recyclable, and many curbside recycling programs accept them along with other types of plastic, but many don't, and that's because it's simply not cost-effective.
Correspondingly, how do you dispose of plastic utensils?
Some curbside programs, like Fort Worth's, will accept plastic utensils, but because plastic forks and knives are so small, some locations, like Easton, PA, will not. If neither your waste hauler nor your local recycling center accepts plastic utensils, you should throw them in the trash after the first use.
Keeping this in view, how do plastic utensils affect the environment?
Pollution of Waterways More than half of the plastic used is thrown away without being considered for recycling or being put to other uses. This has led to the deposition of this plastic cutlery into waterways such as oceans, rivers and seas, contaminating the water ways.
New Yorkers are doing a terrible job at recycling plastic forks. The citywide recycling rate is 44%, according to the Department of Sanitation. But in a new study, the Independent Budget Office found that number drops in certain categories, like plastic forks, which are only recycled 5% of the time.