Chopsticks As Art, Not Waste

Chopsticks.

We’ve all used chopsticks, or struggled to comprehend how they function as a fork alternative, at some point in our existence on this planet. Chopsticks are a sliver of the massive, global waste stream and yet are an important item to talk about when we discuss single-use anything and the impact our meals have on the health of the planet.

The Struggle Is Real

As an environmentally-minded person, chopsticks are one of those grey-area materials that I struggle with. On one hand, they are made of bamboo and therefore not made of single-use plastic.

On the other hand, they are made of bamboo: a natural resource that as it turns out, provides lots of habitat for other creatures on this planet. We take the bamboo for our lunches, we end up also taking away their dwellings. Not such a savoury thought, after all. Oy, vey!

Chop It Up

So what’s the solution here? The obvious: transition to reusable chopsticks. But just as you don’t get a plant the day after you plant a seed, transitioning to reusables takes time. Why not make art in the meantime? One company is doing just that and they are chopping away at the notion that these wooden implements are waste.

Chop Value is a Vancouver, BC-based company whose mission is to “transform used chopsticks into everyday, functional products.” They partner with businesses to collect used chopsticks, then clean them (with magic, I presume) and create lovely things to fill your home, office, purse, and bedroom with.

I experienced Chop Value at a recent trip to Pacific Poke, a western Canada area chain of poke-inspired restaurants serving up healthy-ish dishes of rice, fish, and other fixin’s. They’ve partnered with Chop Value to a) collect their used chopsticks and b) furnish their storefront with lovely things.

Pacific Poke brings up a whole other set of wonderings about sustainability but perhaps we should park that discussion for another day…especially considering I’d have to eat my words, as I admittedly have a weakness for the Hawaiian-inspired dish and enjoyed a bowl of their offerings myself on this day. We can’t all be perfect all the time, OK?

Progress > Perfection

Perfect or not, this chopstick initiative worked for me. What I have (somewhat begrudgingly) come around to in recent years is that this whole waste “thing” is going to take some time (like, lots) to work itself out. These systems systems are old, ingrained, and slow to turn around. As we make it clear to companies that we’d prefer reusable options, we need something to get us there. Enter in Chop Value (and others like it) to fill that need.

While there are many, many restaurants already making the shift towards reusable chopsticks (this is your cue to begin doing somersaults around the office), many, many others will continue to use disposable sticks, for whatever reason: they haven’t figured it out yet, they don’t want to figure it out yet, cost, efficiencies, etc. This is just the way the world works, as (sometimes) frustrating as it is.

If we hold this to be true and understand that transitions take time (and that some people will never change), then in the meantime…make art, not war. I mean, this table is pretty, isn’t it?

Of course, this is not where the discussion should end. No, no, no! If you care, share and speak up. Ask the managers why they are using disposables. Suggest alternatives. Be patient, and be kind. But never rest on the halfway solution.