Dissolvable in water: Xingren Night Market to switch entirely to eco-friendly "rice husk chopsticks" in August

▲ Xingren Garden Night Market will fully replace its utensils with rice husk chopsticks starting August 1. (Photo / Provided by Xingren Garden Night Market)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

When locals dine at night markets across Taiwan, they often use disposable bamboo chopsticks. However, the environmental impact and odor of these chopsticks have also become another common concern. As a result, Xingren Garden Night Market in Bade District, Taoyuan City, announced that starting August 1, all vendors in the market will switch to naturally biodegradable "rice husk chopsticks," making it the first eco-friendly night market in Taiwan to adopt such utensils.

Xingren Garden Night Market has over 500 stalls, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every weekend evening and averaging 2,000–3,000 visitors daily during summer vacation. It is a popular night market among locals, which also creates significant demand for disposable chopsticks. To promote environmental awareness, all vendors at Xingren Garden Night Market will switch to hygienic and eco-friendly rice husk chopsticks or metal chopsticks starting August 1.

▲ Rice husk chopsticks are made by grinding rice husks into powder, then pressing and heating the material.

Zhan Fanglin, Executive Deputy General Manager of Xingren Garden Night Market, stated that traditional eco-friendly bamboo chopsticks vary greatly in quality and often carry the smell of bleach. Therefore, for the health of the public, the market opted to switch to chopsticks made from rice husks.Rice husk chopsticks are processed by grinding and compressing leftover rice husks, and they have passed inspections for 310 types of pesticide residues. They contain no bleach, do not feel rough to the touch, and can be used normally during meals. However, they dissolve in water after prolonged soaking, reducing environmental impact.

▲ Xingren Garden Night Market can attract over 10,000 visitors on a single weekend evening, leading to high usage of eco-friendly chopsticks.

Although rice husk chopsticks are significantly more expensive than traditional bamboo chopsticks, Zhan Fanglin mentioned that the market has already stocked over 500 boxes. Many vendors have also proactively switched to rice husk chopsticks ahead of time. After August 1, Xingren Garden Night Market will officially become the first night market in Taiwan to use eco-friendly rice husk chopsticks.

Xingren Garden Night Market
Address: No. 46, Changxing Road, Bade District, Taoyuan City
Business Hours: Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 17:00–01:00