Going zero waste may sound daunting, but like most things, if you make little daily switches you will be there in no time. Inspired by Bea Johnson, who has been breaking preconceptions of a zero waste life and whose family only produces a small jar of waste a year, Fanny Moritz the founder of NOW No Waste, made it her mission to spread the message of going zero waste in Hong Kong.
Waste is a significant problem in Hong Kong, having been dubbed a “rich city with third-world quality recycling” by Doug Woodring, founder of Ocean Recovery Alliance. With a city boasting more than 7 million people, two-thirds of its waste ends up in landfills. That is 5.6 million tonnes of waste generated a year, and little is recycled. NOW No Waste is an easy-to-use e-commerce website for people to have access to reusable and compostable products, essentials in going zero waste in Hong Kong.
“Mother Nature will tell us that she’s proud of us. There’s positive change everywhere and we need to focus on this.” – Fanny Moritz
In this interview, we speak to Fanny about:
> What exactly is zero waste
> The issue of waste in Hong Kong
> Breaking misconceptions about zero waste life
Here are a few of our favourite wedges of wisdom from Fanny.
What does going zero waste really mean?
There are 5 Rs in a zero-waste lifestyle:
- Refuse what is coming to you from the outside (think plastic bags, straws, unnecessary packaging)
- Reuse what you already have
- Reduce what you have at home and declutter
- Recycle
- Rot food scraps and compostable waste
Why we should care about the mountain of waste…
In Hong Kong, only 1 out of 5 bottles goes into recycling. The rest goes into landfills or ends up in the ocean and there are 90 billion plastic bottles are thrown away a year. To give you an idea of what this would look like, it is 4 times of the International Finance Centre, the tallest tower in Hong Kong,
Selected with yours and the Earth’s wellbeing in mind
NOW NO Waste focuses on products that have recycled packaging, from deodorant to shampoo and all of their products are also BPA-free. They are also moving towards having brands with a social impact and products that are produced in China to reduce the carbon footprint. Looking towards the future, they are looking to have their own factory and warehouse, making it easier to control the quality and movement of their products.
Myth-busting! Fanny’s #LittleGreenSteps about going zero-waste
- Try to change positively step-by-step. Don’t focus on the negatives. Reduce your waste, analyse your garbage and check what you throw away most. Celebrate your little victories.
- There is always a solution to your waste.
- Speak out! The more you speak about your zero-waste lifestyle, the more people you engage and the more you further the movement.
Join the next NOW NO Waste Popup in Hong Kong!
For all our Hong Kong friends – NOW No Waste is coming to you with a Popup happening on Thursday, 21st June 2018 from 7pm to 9pm at The Hive in Sheung Wan. Begin your zero-waste journey today.
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