Spreading the zero-waste message

The festival featured a mini zero-waste exhibition.

SAYING no to plastic is never easy but a group of Malaysians are going beyond that by adopting a zero-waste lifestyle.

That includes purchasing package-free products and minimising the waste they generate every day.

“We are running out of time, we need to move faster and go beyond just not using plastic,” said Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWS) founder Aurora Tin at the group’s second festival held in The Linc, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tin said they started off as a Facebook group in 2016 with just a handful of like-minded individuals.

Today, ZWS has more than 30,000 members.

“Last year, we had a lot of stalls selling package-free products to the public but this year we decided to go with a zero-waste solution showcase to educate local business operators,” said Tin.

She said there were many restaurants and cafes looking to adopt the lifestyle but did not know where and how to begin, hence ZWS’ decision to be the “middleman” in bringing different businesses together.

Visitors learning about package-free products such as bar and liquid soap, vegetables and fruits.

“Some hotels have shown interest and are trying to start by providing guests with bamboo toothbrushes which are environmentally friendly compared to plastic ones.”

Owners from local package-free businesses such as Bring Your Own Bottle, The Hive, A Bit Less, Olive Tree and Frangipani Bulk shared insights at the festival.

ZWS co-founder Su Yee Khor said they were planning to introduce a zero-waste certification system where businesses practising zero-waste would be audited and recognised for their efforts.

“We will put up their names on our website so more will know about them,” said Khor.

The two-day festival also featured a hot-compost workshop, sustainable business forum, soap and plastic recycling as well as environmental talks.

A mini zero-waste exhibition was also held to educate the public on how to practise the lifestyle in the bathroom, kitchen, office and for those on the go.

This year’s event saw participation from Zero Waste Saigon, Plastic Free Southeast Asia and Zero Waste Indonesia.