> that recycling facilities throw out black plastic utensils just because the infrared light in sorting machines can't sort it

That is very true. The sorting used near-infrared which struggle to detect these black plastics because the carbon black pigments absorb the light. I've quoted information from one our our suppliers which explains it and what they are doing about it.

What is carbon black and why should it be eliminated?

  Carbon black is a pigment widely used in
  many materials to achieve dark and opaque
  colours. However, it poses a problem in sorting
  centers. Indeed, for packaging to be sorted
  correctly, it must be detected by a sensor
  known as "near-infrared," abbreviated as NIR.
  This sensor detects the type of polymer by
  identifying bright spots on the surface of the
  packaging and identifies the range of light
  reflected from the majority of the polymer.
  However, the presence of carbon black
  prevents the packaging from being detected
  because it absorbs the infrared rays emitted
  by the device. Undetected packaging is
  therefore not sorted and subsequently not
  recycled. It will be rejected and sent for
  incineration or landfill.

What are the alternative solutions for dark packaging?

  As part of the AGEC (The Anti-Waste Law
  for a Circular Economy) law, voluntary
  commitments have been made by various
  stakeholders, including the GUILLIN Group.

  We have developed solutions for PP and PET
  with detectable packaging without carbon
  black. This solution involves eliminating black
  dyes in favour of dark dyes validated by
  COTREP (Center of Resources and Expertise
  on Household Plastic Packaging Recyclability
  in France). With this material, our packaging
  is detectable by optical sorting and can
  therefore be recycled. Some of our ranges are
  also available in transparent or translucent
  versions, giving you additional options.