Taipei to ban disposable chopsticks
Taipei is to ban free, disposable chopsticks from 24-hour shops and supermarkets, an official said Saturday. The Taipei City Government said that starting later this month, several 24-hour convenience shop and supermarket chains will stop giving away disposable chopsticks with packed food, lunch boxes and instant noodles. Participants in the campaign are 7-Eleven, Family Mark, Circle K and Hi-Life 24-hour shop chains as well as three supermarket chains - Wellcome, Matsusei and Pxmart. "These shops and supermarkets are taking the lead. We hope other shops, restaurants and roadside food stalls can follow suit and stop using disposable chopsticks," said Su Fen-hui, from the city government's environmental protection bureau, said.
1. If they are made from renewable bamboo plantations, they are not exactly contributing to deforestation, but instead providing a reason to keep bamboo growing in the first place.
2. Sure, they are thrown into the garbage, but as being a natural product, they are biodegradable.
3. Finally, washing non-disposable chopsticks also will cause environmental damage by putting detergent into the water supply. See for example:
Dutch lifecycle analysis: The biggest problem with reusable coffee cups is the water and energy required to clean them. Washing a porcelain cup and saucer once, in an average dishwasher, has a greater impact on water resources than either a paper cup or a Styrofoam cup. In contrast, porcelain cups have less impact on air, energy consumption, and volume of trash. If a reusable coffee cup is used twice before being washed, then it becomes energy-efficient relative to Styrofoam cups after 114 uses, and less than 100 uses to be energy-efficient relative to paper. Even fewer reuses are required for the reusable mug to be more air pollution–efficient and landfill volume–efficient.
But I don't think anyone will use their portable chopsticks TWICE before washing them with a nice dollop of detergent. Instead, I predict that the stores will sell disposable chopsticks for NT$ 2 just like the bags now, but they will sell a whole lot more of them than they do the bags. Well, McDonald's is "lovin' it" since their fast food only requires hands and not chopsticks.
Its also interesting to recall that the Taiwan government once pushed restaurants and street vendors to use disposable dining utensils in the name of better public hygiene.
Hat Tip to The View from Taiwan
2 comments:
I was told that they are not made from bamboo, but from balsa wood.
This is really a good way to avoid cutting trees and to preserve their nature. I hope China and Japan will do the same before it's too late.
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