How will we ever get away from plastics when they are ubiquitous for safety

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We don't need to ban every single bit of plastic. It's fine to keep it where it's absolutely necessary. Some of the examples you provided definitely aren't necessary though, like individually wrapped cutlery (wtf) or beverages (can use glass).

Well for one: most of the things listed already have a solution:

Food? Glassware and Metal containers. Or Even reusable single type plastic containers, like a tupperware.

Sterile medical supplies already are packed in a paper bag. The ones that are in plastic actually aren't.

Medicine can also be packed into glass and metal containers.

Beverages can be put in cans or Reusable Glass bottles or you simply drink tap water. (I know in some countries that's not safe but it should be)

And honestly your cafeteria is the most ridiculous example. Get a dishwasher and use real cutlery. Or bring your own cutlery from home. (Is it actually a cafeteria or just a glorified break room?)

Canada is in the process of "banning single-use plastics". Although you still see them everywhere, there are many places that have switched some stuff like plastic grocery bags, plastic straws and plastic utensils to cloth grocery bags, paper straws and wooden utensils.

Start with the easy wins and replace the others as options come available. We don't have to fix everything at once.

One way is to keep the plastic but make it out of something renewable instead of out of petroleum products. It can have the same short term properties but eventually disintigrate instead of turning into microplastics or releasing harmful particles when burned.

I don't think individual shrink wrapping of utensils is a necessary use, every time I pull that thin plastic off something I think we are all going to hell.

But as others have noted, we don't need to eliminate all use, we need to radically reduce use and find a technology to deal with the remaining amount.

Single use consumer plastics should be banned.

Ban them and let the market figure it out. They always do.

Bioplastic - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic

It'd be better to come up with ways to efficiently break them down chemically so they can be remade into new plastic.

How can we get away from plastic as a safety layer?

We don't need to get away totally.

It will be good enough if we avoid most of it.

I’m probably going to hell for saying this, but… I’m not that worried about plastic pollution? Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to minimize single use items and plastic ending up places it shouldn’t, but if it’s the best option for food / medical safety or cheaply producing something with a lower carbon footprint… we should probably just use it without too much guilt? The world is almost certainly better because of plastic in my opinion.

You can buy bamboo utensils individually wrapped in wax and brown paper. For most one time use items we already have a non-plastic alternative, it's just less convenient.

The answer is that we’re not going to get away from plastic

Plastic isn't the problem, capitalism is.

I feel like the more my desire to escape plastic intensifies, the more plastic I see around me everywhere

Congrats you learned something about how your brain works. My advice is to stop freaking out about plastic.

Everyone should read the Plastics Paradox. It's good to be well informed.

We have an enzyme that eats the stuff now. Everyone calm down.

We did rather fine in ancient times without plastic. We will find a way.