Bring Your Own Chopsticks (B.Y.O.C)

There is a lot of misinformation regarding chopsticks. They are not all made from bamboo. They are no longer made solely from scrap wood. Most chop sticks are made from birch and poplar trees. Razing "fast growing forests" of birch and poplar trees has ecological impact because these types of forests are an early step in the reforestation process.

China produces approximately 63 billion pair of chopsticks annually while Japan uses 25 billion pair. Taiwan takes up another five or six billion pair. Disposable chopsticks are part of deforestation. The environmental impact led to the the Bring Your Own Chopsticks movement (B.Y.O.C.) as an easy way to reduce the number of disposable chopsticks used.

Trophy Bikes is selling great reusable chopsticks from Snow Peak. The chopsticks unscrew to fit into a nylon carrying case. The eating end is white ash, sourced from recycled baseball bats from Japan. The end that you hold in your hands is stainless steel. At $29.95, they probably aren't an economical budget item but if you live on the go and eat a lot of Asian food, these chopsticks could save some trees. Plus they are a beautiful novelty Christmas gift for the type of people who adore folding bikes or who include chopsticks with their dining utensils. Maybe a folding bike is out of the budget this year but folding, reusable chopsticks are still affordable.