The utilization of disposable chopsticks is very popular in Taiwan, China, and Japan and is one of the major sources of waste in these countries. In this study, recycled disposable chopstick fiber was chemically modified. Subsequently, this modified fiber and polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride were added to polypropylene (PP) to form novel fiber-reinforced green composites. A heat-deflection temperature (HDT) test showed an increase of approximately 81% for PP with the addition of 60-phr fibers, and the HDT of the composite could reach up to 144.8 degrees C. In addition, the tensile strength, Young's modulus, and impact strength were 66, 160.3, and 97.1%, respectively, when the composite material was 40-phr fibers. Furthermore, this type of reinforced PP would be more environmentally friendly than an artificial-additive-reinforced one. It could also effectively reduce and reuse the waste of disposable chopsticks and lower the costs of the materials. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012