Using metal utensils isn't a terrible idea. A lot of hospitals used to have tons of metal medical equipment that they would autoclave on-site. Much of that got replaced with "discard-able" plastic equivalents, because it was cheaper and easier. Now, some hospitals don't even have autoclaves; they use a third-party service for the stuff that still needs it.

And there's nothing stopping them from putting metal utensils in the boxes and leaving some bins of dirty utensils for the morning staff.