Upcycling Single Used Plastic Workshop, with GrabFood

One of the most best things in modern living is convenience, we can contact anyone at anytime, have news delivered to us via the the internet, and of course, gets food delivered to us by a few clicks and swipes via services like GrabFood.

But of course, modern convenience also has some downsides, one of which is the increasing use of plastic as an enable. Plastic, however, is also linked to climate change and environmental pollution in several ways, from air quality to ocean toxicity, plastic wastes contribute to ecosystem disruption.

Upcycling Workshop, officiated by Shaz Mukhtar, GrabFood social media manager

As the major player in food delivery business in the country, GrabFood is in a unique position to make an impact in reducing single-use plastic by working together with merchants & eaters to reduce the use of single-use plastics, starting with cutleries.

The first step GrabFood took is by introducing a toggle option in the app to allow customers to opt for single-use plastic cutlery. Next time you use GrabFood, please do not opt in for single-use plastic cutlery unless you are stranded somewhere and absolutely have to use them.

Getting it done with otherwise waste material

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE are the three major steps in saving our environment, in that order.

To send the message across, together with others, I was invited to participated at an  upcycling workshop conducted by GrabFood in ME.REKA, a makerspace in Publika. ME.REKA is a space where you have access to tools and expertise in making whatever you have in mind – be it wood & metal working, 3D printing, and so forth.

getting busy with it

Our tools were hot glue, scissors, knife, spray paint, ropes, with material to be upcycled being plastic spoons and bottles.

By cutting the spoons and sticking them around cut up plastic bottles, we were able to make some pretty neat looking small vase. Check out some of them below, and of course, one made by yours truly. It was overall a pretty fun session and one that sent the message across pretty clearly.

succulent vase upcycled from single use plastic waste

So remember, for your next meal via GrabFood, please do not opt-in for single-use plastic cutlery and use those metal ones from your kitchen or office pantry. If your office doesn’t have cutlery, bring some metal ones to work.