Everton footballer gets behind chopstick recycling initiative at new YO! Sushi site

YO! Sushi has opened its doors in Speke and Everton Midfielder Tom Davies is supporting the launch as the director of ChopValue UK.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, YO! has joined forces with ChopValue UK to launch its new Merseyside restaurant as they look to save millions of chopsticks from landfill and instead create new products.

Every pair of chopsticks used at the Japanese restaurant will be upcycled into new products for homes, offices and businesses, such as coasters, desks, shelves, and more.

YO! is trialling the service in Liverpool – where ChopValue UK has its first microfactory – with a view to rolling the initiative out across the UK should it prove successful.

Approximately 1.5 billion chopsticks end up in landfill each year so YO! is looking at ways to reduce this waste and instead find a new use for its bamboo chopsticks.

Davies said: “It’s our mission to leave no chopstick behind and this partnership with YO! is a massive opportunity to save tonnes of chopsticks going into landfill and instead giving them a new life. It’s important that we all take steps to protect the future of this planet and I feel we all have a role to play in that. I’m looking to use my profile and platform as a footballer to help spark people into thinking about how they can make a difference. The truth is that many chopsticks go to waste unnecessarily, if I can help to stop that then I’m happy to do so. With YO! coming on board with ChopValue we hope we can save millions of chopsticks and give them a second life.”

Victoria Mathers, UK head of marketing at YO!, said: “We are delighted to be working with ChopValue UK at our new restaurant in Speke. This partnership is a small step in our commitment to being as sustainable as we can be as a company and is a signal to how we want to evolve and ensure we are looking after the planet around us. Bamboo chopsticks can have a second life as a number of products, as the ChopValue team have demonstrated and we’re really excited as to how the partnership here can evolve. Tom may have goals on the pitch but he’s also very passionate off the pitch too about the steps we can all take to be more sustainability focused, we’ve enjoyed working together and long may it continue. We’re really looking forward to welcoming new customers to YO! Speke and have got a menu that will whet the appetite for all.”

The new YO! can be found at the New Mersey Retail Park.

 

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