Disposable chopsticks made from bamboo or wood have become ubiquitous and synonymous with take-away food. Many millions are used once and discarded every day. In China alone, an estimated 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are produced annually. In response to this some countries, such as Taiwan, have introduced a levy on single use chopsticks, much like the one commonly imposed on plastic shopping bags, to encourage people to carry their own chopsticks to be used again and again.