2026-03-16
Oriental Daily News, March 16, 2026, A6 Edition
[Reported by this newspaper] The Food Commons Foundation held a "Step by Step: Food Save Walkathong" event in Tai Wai yesterday. The food recycling walk started from San Tin Tsuen in Tai Wai, passing through Che Kung Temple, Tai Wai Market, and The Wai. Along the way, experienced recyclers and volunteers explained the "collect and distribute within the area" food recycling model, sharing their daily experiences of "saving food" in markets and shops, recycling, sorting, and distributing food on the same day, transforming potentially discarded food into community support.
Promoting Food Recycling, Transforming into Community Support
Food Commons Foundation Chairman Leung Kam-tim pointed out that through in-depth community experience activities, citizens can gain a more concrete understanding of the actual operation of market recycling, and it also helps to establish the concepts that "leftover food can be reused" and "food recycling can start from the community," enabling the public to make more conscious consumption and dietary choices in their daily lives.
A previous opinion survey conducted by the Food Commons Foundation regarding its "Sha Tin District Food Recycling and Sharing Scheme" interviewed 103 beneficiaries, primarily elderly and low-income families. The results showed that if services were interrupted due to funding issues, 68.9% of respondents indicated a significant increase in financial stress, reflecting the scheme's crucial role as a safety net for the community. Economically, over half of the households saved more than HK$500 per month on food expenses, with some saving over HK$1,000. This saved money could be used for medical care, children's education, and daily necessities, significantly alleviating financial pressure. In terms of health, over 90% of respondents reported increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables due to the scheme, helping to maintain basic nutrition amidst high prices.
Since 2009, the Food Commons Foundation and its predecessor projects have been collecting edible leftovers in the community on a "collect and distribute within the district" basis, accumulating over 11,373 metric tons of food collected and benefiting over 10.07 million people. The foundation hopes the event will allow more citizens to personally understand the local issues of food waste and poverty, and how community food recycling can turn waste into support, thereby encouraging them to practice food conservation in their daily consumption and eating habits, and supporting the continuation of frontline food rescue services.
Original URL: Organizes Food Save Walkathong and Explains Food Recycling | Oriental Daily | Hong Kong News