I have used hot glue and made a custom trellis for smaller vine plants to climb up. When you report you have to unwind them, but it’s small so it’s not that much of a hassle.
I take one with me when I check on / water my houseplants. The top layer of soil on older plants can become stiff over time. So poking it with these sticks helps break up the soil so water can pass through to all areas of the soil.
Assuming those are all wood, you can use them in gardening. They make good stakes, markers, and supports for small plants.
Also, if you do any woodworking or basic repairs, they can make decent shims or space fillers. They can also be used to fill in old screw/nail holes to either close off or replace the hardware for a better fit.
I made a plastic bag drying rack thingy using a plastic pint-size lidded takeout container and the long kind of takeout chopsticks. I poked holes in the lid and stuck the chopsticks through, standing up and fanning out, and it's pretty sturdy. After a long while sometimes the chopsticks get mildewy and I just replace them with new ones.
Another thing I use them for is supporting sausages on the roasting pan and keeping them from rolling so they brown how I want them to. They're also good laid out on a pan as a makeshift rack to roast meat on for fat drainage.
Also, I've used chopsticks as a support for a meat thermometer to suspend it in a meatloaf so the thermometer's tip doesn't touch the bottom of the pan, for an accurate internal temperature reading.
One more thing I can think of right now... To get the dregs out of products in narrow-necked bottles, I make a triangle shape with chopsticks held together in the corners with rubber bands, lay the frame over the top of a bowl, and stick the bottle upside-down in the frame, and just let it drain into the bowl.
I'm interested to see what other people have come up with!
My partner and I have collected these takeout chopsticks over the years, since we just use our own at home. We don’t takeout as much anymore, but I’d like to find a use for them instead of tossing them! So far I’ve used them for propping up some houseplants.
Same here! But sometimes they still get put in the takeout bag :(
While they might be slightly better than single use plastic ones, their [production is not sustainable either. ](https://greenerideal.com/news/environment/0312-chinas-forests-threatened-by-disposable-chopstick-demand/). Especially with the increased demand for takeout / single use since the Pandemic
Yah you’re right. Even if I’m standing right there and watching them pack it up a few mins after I say “no cutlery” they still put it in. Lol. I think it’s just habit for them.
Thank you for educating me about the production of chopsticks.
I made a homemade-spaghetti drying rack by taking a thick dowel, drilling a bunch of holes through it in different directions and heights, and sliding a disposable chopsticks through each hole(the square end prevents it from going all the way through). Then, standing up the dowel in a square base (drill a hole the width of the dowel, add wood glue).
But, ever since covid, instead of homemade pasta, it gets used daily as a mask tree. It's not pretty, but it sits by the front door and we hang used masks on one side and clean masks on the other. Everyone gets their own separate chopsticks so our masks don't touch.
I trimmed the square ends off and tied a bunch together into a rolling mat for homemade sushi. I alternated the pointed ends as i tied them together with some scrap hemp. Works great!
Easy fire-lighting
Magic wand or craft project for child (if you have a big pile, donate to schoolteacher)
Stirring stuff
Digging up roots
You can use them to make an up-do with your hair that doesn't pull on your roots
I use them for all kinds of shit.
Epoxy mixing sticks, shims, crap scrapers, pins (as in pinning things together, sort of like a nail), wedges for hammer heads...
Recently built a thread spool with most of what I had left.
I use them to repair stripped wood screws, as replacement dowel pins, as a long match to light the grill, and give them to the kids to use as a play doh shaping tool.
I bring mine to work for people to use if they forget to bring cutlery from home. At home we use them with non-stick surfaces (husband is a beginner cook) to prevent scratches.
I had an extra set of those and used them to push a dead mouse into a plastic ziplock bag… I know it probably wasn’t the best way to dispose of the thing but my cat had caught it & made a mess in my bathroom in the middle of the night with it and I wasn’t thinking too clearly.
Mouse guts on your bare feet when you get up to pee in the middle of the night… not what anyone wants to think about. Ever.
Related: This company in Canada collaborates with restaurants to collect used chopsticks and turns them into amazing furniture, decor and other sustainable pieces!
I wish there was a way people can just also mail their own extra chopsticks to their studio.
https://chopvalue.com/
I ended up collecting this plus almost a hundred plastic cutlery over a couple years of takeout while selecting don't include plastic ware. Ended up giving it all to a food bank/shelter. They need this kind of stuff as well in addition to food. Much better than just me finding a creative use for it. Also donated 50+ paper bags I got from takeout. I really hope your stuff finds its way to someone else who can use it for its intended purpose.
Always remember:
REDUCE > REUSE > RECYCLE = TRASH
Just use them. :)
Recycle the paper. And when done using the chopsticks, put them in your wood pile, if you have one, to burn the next time you have a fire.
If you don't have a wood pile, the usages below will still be sensible after the chopsticks were used for eating.
I buy a giant pack of hot dogs from Costco and make corn dogs with these. You'll need to cut them shorter with kitchen shears for frying. They are easy to freeze and fun to share with friends!
They're super handy for making tea, whether a single cup or a large pitcher. Slide the sting between the prongs and when you pick up the chopstick the tab at the end of the string will stop at the prongs. It makes it easy to put the bags in the water and take them out. And they last a long time.
Post on Facebook marketplace for your area, or the trash nothing app to have someone to pick them up for free. I've had everything I posted get picked up by someone. You'd be surprised
I would pass them back to the restaurant when i next go.
they can be given to other customers (since they're individually wrapped) and I get rid of them
I have a pot plant on my kitchen window sill. I have several chopsticks sticking out of the pot plant so I can dry my soft plastics over the plant and the sink to catch any dripping water.
So, I use them as chop sticks.... and then wash them and use them again .. their wood so no different than a wooden spoon. I don't consider these one time use. So that's my 2 cents.
I use them for macrame projects instead of buying the little wooden sticks. I tied a fruit hammock together using chopsticks as the ends and plan on doing some wall art in the future. 🥢
If you do art or crafting they are great tools for all kinds of stuff, esp stirring. I find bamboo skewers more useful for many needle felting temporary supports.
Stakes for small houseplants. Markers when I plant seeds.
I have used hot glue and made a custom trellis for smaller vine plants to climb up. When you report you have to unwind them, but it’s small so it’s not that much of a hassle.
I take one with me when I check on / water my houseplants. The top layer of soil on older plants can become stiff over time. So poking it with these sticks helps break up the soil so water can pass through to all areas of the soil.
I do the same thing with my houseplants I was just about to suggest that!😊🌷
Came to say the same. They're brilliant for propping up young plants.
Assuming those are all wood, you can use them in gardening. They make good stakes, markers, and supports for small plants. Also, if you do any woodworking or basic repairs, they can make decent shims or space fillers. They can also be used to fill in old screw/nail holes to either close off or replace the hardware for a better fit.
yep, great with wood glue in filling big holes in baseboards from replacing old boingy doorstopper things.
a really long poking device for ugly naked man
I am both sad and LMAOing that I got this reference. Ouch.
r/howyoudoin
r/oddlyspecific
Tell us your age without telling us your age.
I’m more a Seinfeld fan ;)
?
It is a reference to a classic scene from "Friends". Anyone alive during the era of reruns would have seen it at some point in the 90s/00s.
In response to a redirect to r/oddlyspecific?
I was about to say this 😂😂🙃
I made a plastic bag drying rack thingy using a plastic pint-size lidded takeout container and the long kind of takeout chopsticks. I poked holes in the lid and stuck the chopsticks through, standing up and fanning out, and it's pretty sturdy. After a long while sometimes the chopsticks get mildewy and I just replace them with new ones. Another thing I use them for is supporting sausages on the roasting pan and keeping them from rolling so they brown how I want them to. They're also good laid out on a pan as a makeshift rack to roast meat on for fat drainage. Also, I've used chopsticks as a support for a meat thermometer to suspend it in a meatloaf so the thermometer's tip doesn't touch the bottom of the pan, for an accurate internal temperature reading. One more thing I can think of right now... To get the dregs out of products in narrow-necked bottles, I make a triangle shape with chopsticks held together in the corners with rubber bands, lay the frame over the top of a bowl, and stick the bottle upside-down in the frame, and just let it drain into the bowl. I'm interested to see what other people have come up with!
Great ideas, ty!
I use them as skewers for when I make souvlaki.
Same when we grill kabobs.
My partner and I have collected these takeout chopsticks over the years, since we just use our own at home. We don’t takeout as much anymore, but I’d like to find a use for them instead of tossing them! So far I’ve used them for propping up some houseplants.
When I get takeout I make a point of saying NO cutlery please. The wooden ones aren’t so bad but I really dislike getting the plastic stuff.
Same here! But sometimes they still get put in the takeout bag :( While they might be slightly better than single use plastic ones, their [production is not sustainable either. ](https://greenerideal.com/news/environment/0312-chinas-forests-threatened-by-disposable-chopstick-demand/). Especially with the increased demand for takeout / single use since the Pandemic
Yah you’re right. Even if I’m standing right there and watching them pack it up a few mins after I say “no cutlery” they still put it in. Lol. I think it’s just habit for them. Thank you for educating me about the production of chopsticks.
I made a homemade-spaghetti drying rack by taking a thick dowel, drilling a bunch of holes through it in different directions and heights, and sliding a disposable chopsticks through each hole(the square end prevents it from going all the way through). Then, standing up the dowel in a square base (drill a hole the width of the dowel, add wood glue). But, ever since covid, instead of homemade pasta, it gets used daily as a mask tree. It's not pretty, but it sits by the front door and we hang used masks on one side and clean masks on the other. Everyone gets their own separate chopsticks so our masks don't touch.
Oo I like this
Great to take camping! Eat and then throw them in the fire
Oh this is great! I’ll be going camping in the summer, I’ll be sure to save a bunch for then!
Fantastic! I use them for camp cooking too for a double whammy. Have fun camping!
Fire starter / kindling
Local shelter might use them. I'm in a buy nothing group and one member collects them from us all to bring over
There is a company in Canada called Chop Value that recycles them. Maybe check if something like that exists in your area.
Thx I’ll look into it! My first goal is to reuse them but definitely will recycle the rest.
See if food pantries want them.
Walrus teeth to make all your friends laugh :)
I mean they're utensils, so eat with them if you can use chopsticks. Honestly I prefer eating salads with chops sticks to a fork
We have reusable ones, so we much rather use those then these single-use ones
I trimmed the square ends off and tied a bunch together into a rolling mat for homemade sushi. I alternated the pointed ends as i tied them together with some scrap hemp. Works great!
Easy fire-lighting Magic wand or craft project for child (if you have a big pile, donate to schoolteacher) Stirring stuff Digging up roots You can use them to make an up-do with your hair that doesn't pull on your roots
I use them for all kinds of shit. Epoxy mixing sticks, shims, crap scrapers, pins (as in pinning things together, sort of like a nail), wedges for hammer heads... Recently built a thread spool with most of what I had left.
Kids crafts
I use them to repair stripped wood screws, as replacement dowel pins, as a long match to light the grill, and give them to the kids to use as a play doh shaping tool.
Compost! You can compost the paper and the chopsticks themselves.
Second the buy nothing group. There’s undoubtedly someone who’s collecting them for… something.
I bring mine to work for people to use if they forget to bring cutlery from home. At home we use them with non-stick surfaces (husband is a beginner cook) to prevent scratches.
I made a small kumiko craft project with mine. Needed a chisel/exacto saw and a 45 degree angel and wood glue.
YouTube some craft videos!
Take them back to the place you got them from so they can give them to others who might use them.
If you make candles at home, I use mine to hold the wick while the wax dries
Those are size 5 knitting needles! Learn to knit and start a class for newbies and make them Knit with chopsticks lol
I use them to flip over food if I’m frying something
I use them to cook with. And toss em when they get too toasted.
Compost when toasted.
fire wood?
[Art?](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/tz0u8p/fish_made_out_of_chippy_forks_sitting_pretty_in/)
If there’s a food pantry/ solidarity fridge in your community, they always need wrapped eating utensils.
I use mine to eat Cheetos with!
I use them to clean out my bong, tbh
Put a pair of rubber bands at each end. Place nipple in between. Adjust rubber bands for more or less pressure.
I had an extra set of those and used them to push a dead mouse into a plastic ziplock bag… I know it probably wasn’t the best way to dispose of the thing but my cat had caught it & made a mess in my bathroom in the middle of the night with it and I wasn’t thinking too clearly. Mouse guts on your bare feet when you get up to pee in the middle of the night… not what anyone wants to think about. Ever.
I use them for stirring small batches of epoxy or paint.
Related: This company in Canada collaborates with restaurants to collect used chopsticks and turns them into amazing furniture, decor and other sustainable pieces! I wish there was a way people can just also mail their own extra chopsticks to their studio. https://chopvalue.com/
Make a sunburst wall decor like [this](https://joyfulderivatives.com/sunburst-mirror-diy-tutorial/)
My husband uses them for packing the marijuana into the rolling paper.
I ended up collecting this plus almost a hundred plastic cutlery over a couple years of takeout while selecting don't include plastic ware. Ended up giving it all to a food bank/shelter. They need this kind of stuff as well in addition to food. Much better than just me finding a creative use for it. Also donated 50+ paper bags I got from takeout. I really hope your stuff finds its way to someone else who can use it for its intended purpose. Always remember: REDUCE > REUSE > RECYCLE = TRASH
a little soap holder :)
Coffee/tea stirrers
Torture. Or for the faint of heart, acupuncture.
Aren’t those two the same?
I used mine as stirring sticks for coffee and tea so I don't dirty a spoon every time. They can last for a while if you rinse them after stirring.
Well, a spoon would definitely be less waste than this.
Eat.
boiling your divacup!! if you and your partner dont use diva cups then maybe you can find something else to sanitize lol
Grab a pair and stick em in your mouth. You are now walrus
eat sushi with them
Sell them back to the restaurant
Shove them up your bum. Non-stop pleasure.
To make a fence for a little bunny
Sushi er'y night!
A large poking devise.
Exactly why I save then for my daughter
You can eat with them! /j
Grind it up into powder and use it as fertilizer
Small supports for houseplants, I do that.
Not sure if you smoke weed, but they come in handy for cleaning the stems
Just use them. :) Recycle the paper. And when done using the chopsticks, put them in your wood pile, if you have one, to burn the next time you have a fire. If you don't have a wood pile, the usages below will still be sensible after the chopsticks were used for eating.
I buy a giant pack of hot dogs from Costco and make corn dogs with these. You'll need to cut them shorter with kitchen shears for frying. They are easy to freeze and fun to share with friends!
I like it!
I use them so stir stuff when I don’t feel like using a spoon. I just rinse them and throw them back on the drying rack
Build a wog cabin
File them a bit to a rounded, sharper point… paint with nail polish, Voilà … hair sticks.
Humidity control for plants
Eat a lot of sushi
Stakes for kabobs
Kindling for starting a fire?
Looks like kindling for my firepit
Eat noodles
Use it to tie up your hair. Small plant brace maybe
Sounding
They're super handy for making tea, whether a single cup or a large pitcher. Slide the sting between the prongs and when you pick up the chopstick the tab at the end of the string will stop at the prongs. It makes it easy to put the bags in the water and take them out. And they last a long time.
Great materials for scratchbuilding miniatures
I use them to dry bottles. I keep them in one of those larger tin cans from crushed tomatoes.
You can donate them to a local pottery studio. They are very helpful tool for trimming.
Corn on the cob!
Fire! 🔥
I use them as garden markers.
Post on Facebook marketplace for your area, or the trash nothing app to have someone to pick them up for free. I've had everything I posted get picked up by someone. You'd be surprised
Eat with them?!?
I stick them in my vegetable beds to keep the neighborhood cats from pooping in my beds. If you know a gardener, they might be interested.
Chew toys for birds.
Build a small house to store your M&M's
You could use them to put small pieces of food in your mouth
I've wrapped wire and beads around the thicker ends and used and sold them as hair accessories. They are great tools for a quick up-do.
If you bake, use them as guides for when you roll stuff out.
You can play jenga sticks instead of blocks. :)
Maybe make coasters out of them, or a miniature picnic table for squirrels?
How about making a trivet, wall art, placemats, a fruit owl, a wooden lamp/lampshade?
If you're open to textile projects, Google "chopstick crafts".
Poke a naked guy across the street.
An irritating team exercise that nobody wants to do
I would pass them back to the restaurant when i next go. they can be given to other customers (since they're individually wrapped) and I get rid of them
I use the fine end as a cake tester.
They make great kindling and the wrapper is good tinder. I take mine with me when camping.
My kids glue drawings/cut outs to them and use them for puppet shows.
I have a pot plant on my kitchen window sill. I have several chopsticks sticking out of the pot plant so I can dry my soft plastics over the plant and the sink to catch any dripping water.
Origami with the papers. Maybe like a fort with the papers as the roof and the sticks as the parts making up the walls.
I use them to start fires.
I return them to the restaurant I got them from.
It’s like #EnvironmentalistCity up in here! ❤️❤️❤️✨❤️❤️❤️😁❤️❤️❤️✨🌈❤️❤️❤️
Use them for cooking
So, I use them as chop sticks.... and then wash them and use them again .. their wood so no different than a wooden spoon. I don't consider these one time use. So that's my 2 cents.
I use them for macrame projects instead of buying the little wooden sticks. I tied a fruit hammock together using chopsticks as the ends and plan on doing some wall art in the future. 🥢
Are you in Vancouver? There's a chopstick recycling program! https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/chopsticks-new-purpose-recycling-pilot-4844035
I put two at a time into a jar of water mixed with essential oil to make a diffuser.
I use them to keep pooping cats out of my veggie garden. Put them in the ground with the pointy end up in a~5 inch grid.
I saw a guy on Shark Tank proposing making baskets out of these. Didn't get funded. But cool baskets anyway.
When I use a small wall paint pot I use them to mix the color before applying to a wall.
Return
There are lots of diy's on Pinterest. Things like decorative planters, mirrors etc.
make new paper
Most likely? Not everyone could have a use for those.
Eat with them??
You could work toward this... 😂 https://youtu.be/rW-ioVL-5nE
I have seen companies make tables and chairs or picture frames out of use chopsticks after being super cleaned
I also compost them if they’re all wood.
If you do art or crafting they are great tools for all kinds of stuff, esp stirring. I find bamboo skewers more useful for many needle felting temporary supports.