New environmental taxes in China

This is great news: China imposes a tax on disposable chopsticks! Actually, the campaign was involving schoolchildren, according to BBC:

It produces about 45 billion pairs of chopsticks a year, consuming millions of trees and bamboo plants. The move came as China said it would raise some consumption taxes next month in a bid to help the environment and narrow the gap between rich and poor.

Taxes on yachts, luxury watches, golf clubs, gas-guzzling cars and wooden floor panels are rising by 5-20%.

The disposable splints of wood, usually between eight and 10 inches long, have long been a target for Chinese environmentalists.

School children have written to the Chinese prime minister asking for a ban on disposable wooden chopsticks, while students have persuaded some college cafeterias to replace them with spoons.

I'm finding different numbers, but it seems China produces 10 billion boxes of chopsticks each year for domestic use, while 6 billion boxes are being exported, mainly to Japan. What a waste! South Korea has a much better solution: Stainless steel chopsticks.