Bring Your Own Spork? Reusable Cutlery at Disney

It's Earth Month and Walt Disney World is at it again with its next big environmental initiative. We've always been impressed with Walt Disney World's conservation efforts, even if they don't always go over well. The big announcement this time is that Walt Disney World is slowly working to reduce waste caused by plastic cutlery by offering reusable cutlery. We'll talk about that and other environment efforts in this post.

Reducing Plastic Cutlery

In February of 2021, Disney began introducing compostable cutlery at Disney's Animal Kingdom. They look just like plastic cutlery, but can be thrown in the compost containers, which also are a new development in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In addition to the "titanium spork" now sold at Docking Bay 7 in Galaxy's Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios, this month Disney is introducing reusable bamboo cutlery with its own carrying pouch for sale at select locations around the Disney Parks. While you can't put the bamboo cutlery in the dishwasher, it can be cleaned in your resort room with some light detergent or soap. Bamboo is a durable and sustainable material and if you are serious about making an environmental impact, these could be a great option for you.

Photo credit: Disney Parks Blog

Paper Straws

Paper straws were introduced several years ago, once again debuting at Disney's Animal Kingdom before becoming the norm across all theme parks. While we hardly noticed the difference between these and plastic straws, we have overheard many complaints that people don't like the paper straws. Thankfully, drinks can also be sipped without a straw. You can also do like my environmentally conscious daughter and carry a metal or bamboo straw with you.

While Disney used to provide plastic straws upon request, they stopped carrying them at all in 2019. At Cava del Tequila in the Mexico pavilion at EPCOT, you can also try a different kind of sustainable straw made of agave nectar.

Solar Farms on Site

There are at least two large solar farms on site at Walt Disney World. The first was a 27 acre solar farm in the shape of Mickey Mouse completed in 2016. The second, completed in 2019, is a 207 solar acre farm. That's almost twice the size of the Magic Kingdom just dedicated to solar panels.

Well... not just dedicated to solar panels. It will apparently also be gardened with plants suitable for pollinators and serve the dual purpose of creating a habitat for bees and hummingbirds.

The second solar farm, alone, is the environmental impact equivalent of removing 10,000 cars from the road. In total Disney is now powered by more than 500,000 50 megawatt solar panels which... we don't feel like doing the math... is a lot of power!

Photo credit: Livekindly.co

Fewer Plastic Bags

Here's another controversial one - starting in 2019, Disney removed plastic bags from the parks and began to offer reusable bags for purchase. Some people didn't like it because it felt like being nickled-and-dimed, but for vacationers like us, it works out great. We rarely needed a bag anyway because we just tucked whatever we purchased into our day bag. The reusable bags are cute and unlike the plastic bags, serve a purpose after your vacation, and they are relatively cheap at $1.00 for ANY size.

The Infamous Shampoo Situation

If there's one environmental change Disney made that we've heard the most range of opinions about, it's the shampoo and conditioner in resorts. Disney has moved from supplying mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner, to using full size wall mounted pump bottles. Personally, we love the wall mounted pumps. It's high quality H20 shampoo, and I can use as much of it as I need on my long hair, which was always a struggle getting more than a pinch out of the small bottles. But it does mean I can't pilfer extra supplies from mousekeeping as souvenirs anymore.

Photo credit: WDWNT.com

2030 Environmental Impact Goals

Disney recently unveiled the 10 year environmental impact plan for Disney parks... and it's ambitious. The goal is net zero carbon emissions and zero landfill waste by 2030. The new compostable waste recycling bins at Disney's Animal Kingdom surely speak to the second part of this goal.

In addition, Disney is working to serve 100% environmentally responsible seafood at Disney parks and resorts (right now, the majority already is... If you are unsure, ask your server). And they are looking to ensure all paper, wood, and palm oil products are from certified sustainable resources. They are keeping an eye on reducing water consumption, and moving to low carbon fuel needs. When I picture all the gushing fountains and noisy buses at Walt Disney World, I realize how ambitious a goal this seems. But even those fountains, some of which draw water from directly beneath them and then send it back, and those buses, some of which already operate on fuel alternatives, are deceiving. It's pretty impressive that such a large operation can make these changes with very little impact to their guests.

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We're excited about the changes Walt Disney World has already made, and those it continues to make to become a more environmentally responsible company. These changes don't impact us too much because we've been making similar changes at home, using metal and bamboo straws, composting, shopping with reusable bags, and paying attention to where our food was sourced, so a Disney vacation becomes an extension of those behaviors to us.

But we also know these changes can feel disruptive to some guests, especially if you chew on your paper straw, so we'd love to hear from you. Which of these changes are you excited about? Which annoy you? And how do you plan to deal with the changes. If you hate paper straws, for example, will you be brining a metal straw? Let us know in the comments or by commenting on this post on our Facebook page which you can follow to see new blogs when they are posted.

We are taking a little break next week but will be back in two weeks with a new blog post. Until next time...