17-Year-Old’s Campaign Against Plastic Cutlery Prevents 8.1 Million Single-Use Utensils

Landon HobermanPhoto credit: https://barronprize.org/ Landon Hoberman is just 17, from New Jersey, but he’s demonstrating how one small change in the way we eat at restaurants can make a big difference for the environment. He has been lauded for his campaign to get restaurants to stop automatically including plastic cutlery with takeaway and delivery orders, which has stopped 8.1 million pieces of single-use cutlery from going to landfill. The effort has also saved participating restaurants more than $200,000, proving that cutting waste can be good for the planet and local businesses. Hoberman’s work has earned national recognition as a 2026 Barron Prize winner, an award that honours young people who have made meaningful contributions to their communities and the environment, as per the award's website. His idea did not require a complicated invention or an expensive new technology. Instead, it focused on changing a default habit: asking customers whether they actually need plastic forks, knives, and spoons before restaurants include them with an order. Read more about his idea here, as per Barron Prize website:A simple question with a big impactEvery day, restaurants across the co...