Every day in Vancouver, 100,000 single-use chopsticks are thrown away. Currently, local companies here are recycling them into shelving, coasters and furniture. This could make it possible to recycle a large amount of used chopsticks in hotels around the world. The article below presents a visit to the headquarters of ChopValue, a recycler in Canada to learn about their used chopsticks recycling process.
ChopValue’s used chopsticks pickup program is conducted in 300 hotels around the Vancouver area twice a week. Typically, the unit will receive about 100 kilograms to 150 kilograms a day. Hotels give ChopValue used chopsticks free of charge. The founder, Felix Bock, calls this place a micro-factory. Customers interested in this recycling process can visit and see how small batches of bricks are made, the production process from raw materials to the final product.
First, they sort chopsticks into trays with corresponding custom sizes. This size arrangement makes the following steps easier.
They then dip the chopsticks in a protective plastic, which helps protect the materials, before drying them in the oven for about five hours. All germs are removed in a 200 °C oven . After that stage, the material needs to be separated again and spread evenly for the next steps. Materials are precisely weighed into trays (560 grams) and these batches are made into ChopValue thin bricks.
A hydraulic compressor, built by Bock’s team, compresses the wand with hundreds of pounds of pressure. That is the basic method to create a new material, new designs for all products at ChopValue headquarters. Materials can be sanded, sanded and fitted to furniture as well as cut into small products like coasters, even domino pieces. At ChopValue also accept orders according to design requirements.
In 2016, the unit recycled 33 million chopsticks instead of their lifecycle which could end up in landfill. When ChopValue started operating, the unit only proceeded to produce coasters. Now, it has been franchised in 3 cities in North America with lots of growth potential. Coasters are still the number 1 best-selling items, and the number of product models has been diversified to a great extent (30 products). This recycling of disposable chopsticks has shown everyone that the next big ideas for waste recycling may be within our reach.
Reference source: Business Insider Today
In charge of the article: Do Thi Hue
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