Many of us are guilty of going to an Asian restaurant (or getting take away), using the disposable wooden chopsticks and then just throwing them away. Come on, who really carries their own reusable chopsticks around with them? (If you do, though, kudos to you!) Here's some inspiration to keep those chopsticks; an interesting upcycling project and an answer to reusing wooden chopsticks, giving them a second life and giving you some cool bookshelves.
One couple, Barcelona-based designers Loida and Hernâni of Timtimxtimtim, had two problems: They needed storage space for their home and were sick of seeing the very short life of wooden chopsticks. So they asked their local Chinese restaurant to give them all the used chopsticks they accrued at the end of a weekend. Loida and Hernâni then had 640 used chopsticks on their hands, and what did they do with them? Turned them into shelves, of course!
In the video below, Hernâni shows the shelving they created for their books and cds, using just the chopsticks and some old doors they found on the street. They look surprisingly sturdy and besides being green and thrifty, they'd also be an interesting-looking addition to any dwelling space. (Unless you're a renter, then I don't think you could get away with drilling hundreds of holes in the wall.)
Watch the video below and see more instructional videos on upcycling and greener living at FairCompanies.com.
Image via: China Digital Times
