It鈥檚 no secret that Richmond is renowned for its diverse Asian cuisine, and one entrepreneur has tapped into an underutilized, but abundant, resource that鈥檚 resulted from this array of delicacies 鈥� disposable bamboo chopsticks.
In 2016, Felix B枚ck, a UBC graduate, launched his start up, ChopValue, in an attempt to bring awareness to the amount of wood waste in Metro Vancouver.
鈥淥ne day (B枚ck) was having sushi with his girlfriend and they realized that bamboo chopsticks were the best way to make people aware of the wood waste issue because it鈥檚 something tangible they can relate to,鈥� said Luz Alarado, digital marketer and community builder with ChopValue.
From there, B枚ck began collecting chopsticks and created a prototype tile of chopsticks broken down into a fibre. However, it wasn鈥檛 quite right.
鈥淗e kind of destroyed the chopsticks鈥e showed the prototype to his girlfriend and she was like, 鈥榥o, I don鈥檛 think this is (made of) chopsticks,鈥欌�� Alarado said.
鈥淗is second prototype he decided to press the chopsticks as they are and he got this tile that, when you grab it from one side, you can actually see (the chopsticks).鈥�
Now, B枚ck鈥檚 company collects chopsticks across Metro Vancouver, including from 15 Richmond locations such as 麻豆传媒映画International Airport, Aberdeen Centre, Richmond Centre, Lansdowne Centre, Richmond Public Market, River Rock Casino and several local restaurants.
Alarado estimates more than 5,000 kilograms of chopsticks have been collected from the Richmond area since 2016, and with these, ChopValue creates tiles which are used to make furniture pieces ranging from small shelves to large tables. The company even helped with a renovation at the River Rock Casino and installed several tables made with their tiles.
麻豆传媒映画International Airport was the first Richmond-based business to partner with ChopValue in 2016 and says they鈥檝e seen more than 520,000 chopsticks recycled.
鈥淲e are focused in going above and beyond with the types of materials that are diverted from landfill,鈥� Shaye Folk-Blagbrough, senior environmental specialist, 麻豆传媒映画Airport Authority told the听Richmond News.
Visitors eating at YVR鈥檚 food court have the option to leave their tray on a counter for staff to sort the waste on it. With this system, all chopsticks on the tray are simply put in a designated bin for ChopValue to collect, which the company does at least once per week.
Aberdeen Centre partnered with ChopValue in June, 2018 and says they鈥檝e sent over 1,000 kilograms of chopsticks to the company.
鈥淭his is something that we should be doing鈥t鈥檚 just like our home,鈥� said Joey Kwan, director of promotion and public relations at Aberdeen Centre. 鈥淲ho doesn鈥檛 want to give a little effort to save the earth?鈥�
Aberdeen Centre鈥檚 waste disposal works similarly to the airport鈥檚, with janitorial staff sorting waste from trays left at designated counters in the food court.
鈥淎lthough it鈥檚 just a small thing, a great idea always starts with the little things,鈥� Kwan said.
While there are no individual pick-up options for those finding themselves with an abundance of chopsticks in their home, ChopValue鈥檚 Alarado explained that anyone can drop their chopsticks off at one of the participating businesses in Richmond.
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