Tel Aviv Schools Throw Out Plastic Utensils

The Tel Aviv municipality has adopted a policy to reduce single-use plastic in the school system.

Children from kindergarten through third grade who eat lunch in school will be issued kits of multi-use, washable cutlery and tableware instead of the throwaways that eventually pollute the rivers and oceans.

Approximately 20,000 children will be involved in the program, projected for implementation by the end of the year, The Times of Israel said.

Deputy Mayor Tzipi Brand said, “This is a complex step for the municipality, which has taken several months and required coordination between many bodies, including the education authority and health services, to provide a safe and healthy solution for children without overloading the staff.

“Over and above the environmental value, this decision mainly has educational value. Our children worry about the future of the world in which they are going to grow up,” she said.

All the kindergartens are slated to receive dishwashers so as not to overload staff with cleaning up the non-plastic utensils.