Plastic utensils are generally pretty bad news for the environment. As a rule people use them once and then throw them in the garbage where they'll sit in a landfill for years. However if you've got a stack of these sitting at home and aren't sure what to do with them, don't despair because there's a fantastic alternative use for them: turn them into garden tags! It's cheap, it's easy and it will keep you from accidentally mistaking the parsley for cilantro. Here's how:

Intro: Easy, Cheap Garden Tags From Disposable Spoons

Being a student, I often find myself finding ways to save as much money as possible. One of the things that costs quite a bit of money (at least here in Dallas) are garden tags. a mere 25 of them cost about $5. While this isn't a huge loss of money, I'd still rather save my $5. The other day, while walking through a grocery store, I saw some plastic spoons, and thought to myself "Wow! Those would work great!" Being only about $2 for a pack of around 200 or so, I snatched 'em up, and went to work to make a garden tag, and within half-an-hour, I'd found a great, quick method!

Step 1: Obtain The Materials
The first thing that you need to do, is obtain your materials. For a basic identification tag, you will need:

- Plastic Spoon(s)
- Cigarette Lighter
- Sharp Scissors
- Fine-Tipped Sharpie

If you are wanting to make the "advanced" garden tag, which uses a color-code system to eliminate the need for writing down the genus, you will also need the following:

- Colored Thumbtacks

Optional:
- 600 Grit Sandpaper
- Pencil

Visit the tutorial online to find out the remaining steps for turning your old plastic utensils into something totally useful!

» Instructables