Think back to your last sushi or noodle night. The food was gone in twenty minutes, the chopsticks did their job, and then into the bin they went. Multiply that by every takeaway order out there and you've got a mountain of perfectly good chopsticks heading to landfill. One curious Canadian scientist looked at that mountain and saw something else entirely: furniture.

A Sushi Night That Sparked an Idea

Back in 2016, Felix Böck was a doctoral student in forestry at the University of British Columbia, researching bamboo as a building material. The lightbulb moment came when he and his girlfriend ordered sushi and noticed disposable chopsticks piling up in a drawer. After three sleepless nights, he had his first prototype.

Böck estimated that at least 100,000 chopsticks are thrown out every day in Metro Vancouver alone. Getting restaurants on board was the trickiest part, so he designed collection bins and pitched the program as a free way to save on waste disposal. Over a dozen restaurants in Kitsilano signed up, and ChopValue was off and running.

From Takeaway to Tabletop

So how does a chopstick become a desk? ChopValue collects used chopsticks weekly from dedicated bins, which the team calls "urban harvest". They're sanitised, sorted, coated in a water-based resin, dried, then pressed at high temperature in a hydraulic press to form tiles. Talk about taking the pressure off our forests.

A cheeseboard uses about 300 chopsticks, a shelf around 1,500 to 2,000, and a desk roughly 10,000. ChopValue says finished material is harder than maple and stronger than oak, which isn't bad for something that started life at the dinner table.

Small Factories, Big Impact

Rather than shipping everything from one giant hub, ChopValue runs local "microfactories" that source, make and deliver close to home, operating within roughly a 25-mile (about 40 kilometre) radius to cut transport emissions. 

By the end of 2025, ChopValue had diverted 257,040,908 chopsticks from landfill and reported  more than 12,500 tonnes of CO2e in emissions saved. By mid-2026, that tally had reached close to 300 million chopsticks, with more than 80 microfactories operating and in development across 10 countries. One set of tables at Vancouver's airport alone used 49,891 recycled chopsticks. Safe to say, this idea really stuck.

Could Australia Be Next?

Here's the bit that made me smile. In its latest growth update, ChopValue named Australia among its key markets under review, alongside Hong Kong, Taiwan and Latin America. Nothing's locked in yet, but given how much we love a Friday night takeaway, our chopsticks could one day enjoy a second life as somebody's tabletop.

And it doesn't stop at one life. ChopValue says its products can go through up to three life cycles with its remanufacturing service. As the company's own motto puts it, "There is no such thing as waste." Sometimes all it takes is one curious mind and a drawer full of chopsticks to prove it.

If this story has you eyeing your own cutlery drawer, swapping single-use utensils for a reusable set is one of the easiest little changes to make. Our Reusable Cutlery range, including a bamboo set that comes with its own chopsticks, is there to explore whenever you're ready for your next takeaway night.

For more feel good stories, you can pick from so many others here.

With love,
Ellie xo

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is ChopValue?

ChopValue is a company founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 2016 by Felix Böck that turns used chopsticks into furniture, home décor and interior products. It's a Certified B Corp with more than 80 microfactories operating and in development across 10 countries.

How are chopsticks recycled into furniture?

Used chopsticks are collected from dedicated bins, then sanitised, sorted and coated in a water-based resin. They're dried and pressed at high temperature in a hydraulic press to form tiles, which become furniture components.

How many chopsticks has ChopValue recycled?

ChopValue diverted 257,040,908 chopsticks from landfill by the end of 2025, and by mid-2026 it had transformed close to 300 million chopsticks into furniture and interior features.

Is ChopValue available in Australia?

Not yet. ChopValue has named Australia among its key markets under review, alongside Hong Kong, Taiwan and Latin America.

Is furniture made from recycled chopsticks strong?

ChopValue says its compressed chopstick material is harder than maple and stronger than oak. The company also says its products can go through up to three life cycles with its remanufacturing service.