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Considering Living in a World of Plastic Utensils & Paper Plates

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
Ive moved into a beautiful apartment/house on the upper most floor overlooking my university campus. The view is stunning, not to mention the incredible ample space this place provides. It's even located on the main street where students cross to and from class.

The only rub is that the kitchen is a bit of a mess. It's four guys living under one roof, with no one taking responsibility for dishes.

A year prior I was living in the dorms on campus where meal plans and swipes were a daily thing, never having to worry about where to throw away the pizza boxes and paper cups.

This summer I was living with a girl who I was sorta seeing and she would spoil me. I'd never clean and she did it all.

Here now, at this apartment the dishes seem just nasty and the utensils look like they either haven't been cleaned in years, or as if they've been used thoroughly everyday.

I'm considering just purchasing a hundred pack of paper plates and eating through that method. Same with cups. Red cups.

I'm not a fan of this admittedly considering I'm the type of guy that doesn't like to litter and roots for the greeness of the earth.. But boy does it seems like an easier alternative.
 
So, if you decide to eat with disposal utensils, won't the problem of dirty dishes and trash continue to pile up (pun intended :p) and smell the place up due to the other guys living there and not cleaning up after themselves?
 
I've lived like that for the past year. Never have time to handwash dishes, and I'm rarely home enough anyway to even eat my meals there. But the plastic cups, plates, and silverware make life much simpler and easier when I do.
 
SandboxGeneral said:
So, if you decide to eat with disposal utensils, won't the problem of dirty dishes and trash continue to pile up (pun intended :p) and smell the place up due to the other guys living there and not cleaning up after themselves?
Click to expand...

Honestly, I am with 3 other guys in an apartment right now, and our rule is whoever uses the dishes to cook or eat cleans them. I know that sounds stupid since the person that cooks shouldn't have to clean, but we rarely all are in the apartment together eating at the same time so most of the time we just cook for ourselves. If someone who cooks REALLY has **** to do then the others pick up the slack if they are half decent people. Just be reasonable. Schedules will never be followed so this is the best way to do it.

I am not a huge fan of the disposable product culture. I shave with a straight edge razor, I don't use paper plates or cups, I don't use garbage bags, instead just use a large garbage bin that I wash with a hose every time I dump it out, and I like to use wash clothes instead of paper towels. It's bad for the environment and gets more expensive than just taking care of your stuff and using reusable products. Plus I don't know about you, but eating with paper plates and plastic cups doesn't feel as good or "premium" as using the real thing.
 
Invest in a dish washer. You can get portable ones. Some of them might be a bit pricey but you can take it with you when you move out.
 
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This may sound weird, but I actually prefer plastic utensils.
I live in a normal house with silverware, but I just don't like the "taste" that comes with the metal. So I actually prefer plastic forks and especially plastic spoons.
 
I knew a married couple who left their dirty dishes build up for so long they couldn't stand the thought of cleaning them. They through them away and bought a new set from ikea.
Have you considered the environmental impact? Seriously have a house meeting and don't live like animals. Clean up when you have finished eating or get a dishwasher as Macaroony said.
 
TSE said:
Honestly, I am with 3 other guys in an apartment right now, and our rule is whoever uses the dishes to cook or eat cleans them. I know that sounds stupid since the person that cooks shouldn't have to clean, but we rarely all are in the apartment together eating at the same time so most of the time we just cook for ourselves. If someone who cooks REALLY has **** to do then the others pick up the slack if they are half decent people. Just be reasonable. Schedules will never be followed so this is the best way to do it.

I am not a huge fan of the disposable product culture. I shave with a straight edge razor, I don't use paper plates or cups, I don't use garbage bags, instead just use a large garbage bin that I wash with a hose every time I dump it out, and I like to use wash clothes instead of paper towels. It's bad for the environment and gets more expensive than just taking care of your stuff and using reusable products. Plus I don't know about you, but eating with paper plates and plastic cups doesn't feel as good or "premium" as using the real thing.
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After reading what you wrote, it seems to me that you intended to quote the OP with this response rather than me. Am I right?
 
A bunch of my old uni friends did that, worked for them! But it's not for me. As others have pointed out this is a problem that needs tackling. If you subtract your mess, then the pile will continue to grow, just a bit slower. It'll still be a messy place to live.

Stop it and tidy up.
 
I did that for a solid 10 years, because when it comes to cleaning. I'm highly lazy when it comes to dish's, in fact. i still do it from time to time. Like when I order a pizza, I just eat it right out of the box. Screw dish's.

Plus, if you buy the generic garbage store brand, its not very expensive either ( I bought like 1000 plates for 15 dollars )
 
You can get stainless steel utensils from walmart - $1 gets you 4... if you really want to have your own set. For $5 you can have pretty much everything you need xD

On the plus side, there may just be some combination of disposable + reusable that works for you. I'm all for keeping it simple! Avoid the foam plates if you can, they are the cheapest but they're really bad for the environment, take up more space in the garbage, and tend to get holes in them from forks and knives and stuff.
 
Just get some cheap dishes and wash them when you use them.

Buying and replacing plastic utensils is not only a large cost over time, it's going to have a negative impact on the environment, as all that plastic is just piling up.

Maybe it's a hassle, but you should definitely go with reusable dishes. You should also quit using plastic water bottles and stuff like that. You save money over time and it helps the environment. Set an example for your roommates.
 
eric/ said:
Just get some cheap dishes and wash them when you use them.

Buying and replacing plastic utensils is not only a large cost over time, it's going to have a negative impact on the environment, as all that plastic is just piling up.

Maybe it's a hassle, but you should definitely go with reusable dishes. You should also quit using plastic water bottles and stuff like that. You save money over time and it helps the environment. Set an example for your roommates.
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Agreed. Get some cheap dishes from Wal Mart, Target, etc and use them. Less expensive and better in the long run.
 
I am 37, live in an studio apartment by myself. I only use one plate, one coup and the fork and knife.

By experience the kitchen is the mayor problem with roomates. Mostly because they are lazy or they are used to mommy cleaning dishes and do not want to grow up.

What you have to do is to seat down...

Every body space and time is valuable, specially living conditions and there is something called RESPECT, and farting "because I pay the rent and I have the right" is not respect, is being a looser to say the least.

Each person need to have their own set of dishes and they have to have them clean or if they have them dirty to keep them in their room PERIOD!

No one has to buy extra thing just because others are lazy.

Try to make the most positive approach and print and place the rule with the signature of everybody. If they do not fallow, they will have to leave.
 
I'm sorry, but.....only in America. I don't think I've ever heard of something like this, but judging from the responses in this thread, it's more common than one might think.

And this is their future.
 
Is it really that difficult to wash a plate, fork, and knife after you eat? Seriously, that takes like a minute.
 
Paper plates with metal utensils is a good eco-compromise. I've been to a few frat houses and wonder how these guys don't wind up with salmonella on a regular basis.
 
JoeG4 said:
You can get stainless steel utensils from walmart - $1 gets you 4... if you really want to have your own set. For $5 you can have pretty much everything you need xD
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Yeah or Ikea, or Target, or almost anywhere. No excuse to not own real plates and utensils.

Then again, sounds like the OP lives for not cleaning dishes too, from that cushy dorm life to a mothering girlfriend. So maybe just stick to the disposable stuff.
 
for a college student, go for it.

for me personally, i can't stand eating or drinking from disposal products. call me a snob, but that's just my preference. we bust out the paper goods maybe 3 times a year when there are more than 12 people over for dinner.
 
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