Shop and Restaurant Pledge to Reduce Waste in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a densely populated city of 7.4 million people. With a population this big, plastic waste is an increasing burden on the environment! Fortunately, there is a movement towards reducing plastic waste in Hong Kong in grocery stores and restaurants.

The first ever zero waste store for food and household products opened in 2018. At the age of 25, Tamsin Thornburrow opened Live Zero. She currently has three Live Zero shops in Hong Kong - two in Sai Ying Pun and one in Sai Kung. I was lucky enough to interview her at her second shop in a small alleyway in Sai Kung. The purpose of a shop like this is to reduce waste and trash that food and products produce, e.g plastic wrapping around vegetables. The shop sells most products by weight. You can bring in your own container or use one that has been donated to the shop. Ms. Thornborrow showed me how this works: weigh the container, mark down the weight, fill in the item, then weighed again to determine the cost.

During her younger years, Ms. Thornborrow’s family and her neighborhood were involved with recycling and composting. She began to live environmentally conscious at the age of 18, carrying around a reusable water bottle while she was studying at university. Ms. Thornborrow was inspired to open Live Zero when she saw that a lot of waste came from food packaging. “My goal is to try to get new customers and people to be aware of the environment,” says Ms. Thornborrow. She also wants to educate the young about saving the environment, “The best way is to educate the young so in the future, they can pass it (the eco-friendly lifestyle) on.” Ms. Thornborrow’s innovative ideas and her zero waste concept stores are making an impactful change in the community.

Another person who is modifying our lifestyle in this community by changing the way a restaurant runs is Jodia Ma, a HABITŪ Ambassador. Ms. Ma has been working for HABITŪ for over five years. According to Ms. Ma, HABITŪ is doing a lot to minimize its plastic use. Here are some examples:

90% of their packaging is made from plants.
The Go Green pledge, created by HABITŪ in 2018, has increased awareness of the waste issue in Hong Kong. They encourage their customers to bring their own take-away containers, providing a $3 discount for those that do.
By 2020, HABITŪ plans on making all their take-away packages 100% sustainable.

Ms. Ma is fully committed to a greener lifestyle, not only in her work life. “I always carry around a water bottle and a HABITŪ foldable cup. I consciously choose not to purchase single-use items,” says Ms. Ma. She recommends people bring their own containers when going out. She believes that “As a community, together we can work together to protect our planet earth, the one and only home we have.”

Both Live Zero and HABITŪ are making a change in the environment, the community, and lifestyle in Hong Kong. I hope that future generations will also follow in both of these young women’s footsteps to help save and protect the environment.

Trevor Yung