Crack!
Breaking those disposable wooden chopsticks – and expecting them to break evenly without too many splinters – is a family ritual before enjoying Asian restaurant meals.
But sadly, those seemingly innocuous sticks could pose a risk to your health, and they certainly do harm to the environment. More than 25 million mature trees are cut down each year just to produce those single-use chopsticks that are released shortly thereafter.
Disposable toothpicks may contain industrial chemicals
Disposable toothpicks are made by boiling them in toxic chemicals. Do you notice that all disposable toothpicks are pretty consistently uniform in grain and color? That doesn’t happen easily in nature; Acid, bleach, harsh chemicals, and even preservatives are used in the manufacturing process.
Sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in wood. In 2005, a Chinese consumer council warned that sulfur dioxide in disposable toothpicks was linked to an increase in asthma and respiratory problems. Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas and a source of air pollution. Smaller amounts are used in winemaking and dried fruit preservation, but since chopsticks are not technically supposed to be edible, no regulatory restrictions apply.
Obviously, when you are making something that is given away for free and thrown away after use, quality control is not much of a concern. Many factories produce more than 1 million pairs of toothpicks per day . That’s more than 12 pairs per second, 24 hours a day. The washing process is simply best effort at that speed. The actual washing happens when you dip those sticks into a hot bowl of pho at your favorite Vietnamese restaurant.
China alone produces approximately 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks per year . Many of those chopsticks are exported to western and neighboring Asian countries.
Without a doubt, chemicals can leach out of the wood during use, especially if one of the main rules of toothpick etiquette is broken when sucking the sauces off the sticks. It is believed that dipping chopsticks in hot liquids, such as soups, causes the wood to expand, releasing additional chemicals in the food.
Obviously, the quality varies; Not all disposable toothpicks present a hazard. The Chinese government has warned against using low-quality chopsticks without any clear markings that may have been produced by small companies. According to them, small and unknown operations are the teams most likely to produce chopsticks of inferior types of wood that need to be bleached.
The environmental cost of disposable chopsticks
Wooden chopsticks seem like an attractive alternative to plastic, especially considering the way Americans throw away tons of plastic utensils each year. Wooden chopsticks are easily biodegradable and are often made from bamboo, a wood famous for being easy to replace.
But there is a catch.
The old myth that disposable chopsticks are made from junk products is simply not true. In fact, it is estimated that more than 25 million mature trees (each generally over 20 years old) are logged each year just to make sticks that are used once and then thrown away.
The demand for cheaply produced chopsticks is too great. Large tracts of forest are cut down each year, and often replaced with palm oil plantations, to provide wood for the stick industry. East Asia just doesn’t have enough wood. The wood is often imported from Burma, Borneo (one of the last native habitats on earth for orangutans), and Indonesia to meet demand.
Japan goes through approximately 24 billion pairs, about 200 pairs per person, of chopsticks per year. Sushi, which was once an appetizer, and sashimi are frequently consumed with wooden chopsticks. Chinese restaurants around the world hand out disposable chopsticks with every order, whether they are used or not.
Despite a 5 percent tax levied on chopsticks by the Chinese government in 2006, demand has increased.
Is bamboo better?
Strong, fast-growing bamboo has been touted as the most environmentally friendly option for a variety of applications. From building bikes and houses to cooking, bamboo works well. You can even eat it.
Unfortunately, when it comes to disposable chopsticks, bamboo was one of the worst offenders at leaching harmful chemicals. You can try this for yourself: put a couple of disposable toothpicks in water that has been boiled and then removed from the heat; quickly acquires a yellowish color. A pH test of the water produces increased acidity once the toothpicks have been soaked.
What can you do?
The answer is simple: avoid breaking those chopsticks when possible. Unless necessary, do not take them from restaurants that will later have to order new stock. Not only will you potentially avoid industrial chemicals present in wood, but you will also do a small part to curb mindless deforestation.
Some travelers have started carrying their own chopsticks when traveling in Asia. Chopsticks are exceptionally easy to wash or clean after use, and many sets come with an attractive carrying case.
The greenest option is to stick with metal chopsticks, Korea’s preference for utensils, but they can be quite heavy and slippery for beginners. Another option is to invest in a pair of attractive wooden sticks that were properly sourced, get a case, and then keep them. Put a game in the car when you forgot to bring it from home.
Chinese stars and celebrities are struggling to curb the practice of throwing out chopsticks after just one use. Eco-friendly Japanese diners bring maibashi , “my chopsticks,” instead of using the ones provided.
Reusing chopsticks is an easy and straightforward way to make a difference. Spread the word: why not gift a nice set of reusable toothpicks to a traveler you know?
