The Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) renewed a campaign Tuesday in which the public are urged not to use disposable chopsticks -- a move that has persuaded more shopping malls, department stores and hypermarkets to take part in its carbon-reduction efforts. Food court operators at 32 businesses, including Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and RT-MART, have decided to take part in the drive from Jan. 1 by offering re-usable chopsticks to customers eating on the premises and no longer providing disposable chopsticks to those who want to take their food away. The DOH has estimated that this will help reduce the amount of disposable chopsticks used next year by some 44 million pairs -- an equivalent to about 350 metric tons of waste or a reduction of 320 metric tons in carbon emissions, sparing around 11,000 trees older than 20 years from being cut down. In conjunction with Sogo Taipei Department Store, Shin Shin Department Store, Ming Yao Department Store, Taimall and the country's four major convenience store chains, the DOH first launched its carbon-reducing drive in July last year. According to a Sogo executive, a dozen Sogo stores around the country used about 2.3 million pairs of disposable chopsticks last year, but the consumption decreased this year by 80 percent. 'The measure not only has helped business owners slash operating costs, but also has pushed them to contribute to the environmentally friendly cause,' he said. Government agencies have since 2006 been making similar efforts by eschewing the use of disposable tableware and chopsticks, the DOH said, calling on the public to collaborate by carrying their own chopsticks when eating out. 