Did you think about the empty shampoo bottle or the plastic tah-pao container you chucked in the bin? Not many people do which is why the world generates at least 3.5 million tons of solid waste a day, 10 times the amount a century ago, according to World Bank researchers. If nothing is done, the researchers estimate that figure will grow to a staggering 11 million tons by the end of the century. That’s a lot of landfills to fill in a planet that is already desperately overstretched, “But I recycle”, you say, the unfortunate fact is that the impact of recycling is quite minimum and the better alternative is to reduce and reuse, or lead what is known as a zero waste lifestyle.
Someone who has thought about this and more crucially, acted on it is Loke Poh Lin, 59, who retired from corporate life a few years ago and set up Bliss Zero Waste Store in Kuala Lumpur in July. The a-ha moment for Loke, who previously worked in marketing, advertising, PR and the media, came when she realised that recycling was not the answer. “I have been a green person most of my life and recycled passionately until I found out late last year that recycling cannot and does not solve the problem of our planet being drowned by pollutants. I had come across the Zero Waste idea before in 2011 but thought it was pretty radical and impractical. Little did I know that it is do-able and we can all contribute towards giving Mother Earth a break if we put our minds to it,” enthuses Loke.
An opportunity to open within the atmospheric Mingle Café in Jalan Sultan was the spark which ignited this project. “I’ve known two of the Mingle owners for some time now due to my personal interest in Chinatown and conservation of heritage buildings. We have a lot of shared values and when they offered me this space within Mingle Café, I said yes, without batting an eyelid. They are very supportive of this little venture and have been very accommodating of our quirky ways of doing business.”
The tiny but well-stocked space offers an extensive range of bio-degradable personal and home care products plus other helpful tools for a zero waste lifestyle sourced from reputable local makers and manufacturers, so that the carbon footprint of each product is reduced. From toiletries to everything you need for cleaning the home, customers are encouraged to bring their own containers for their purchases which are sold by weight. There are personal care items like organic cotton sanitary pads, pantyliners and facial pads, bamboo toothbrushes and refillable toothpastes, menstrual cups, organic deodorants and refillable silk dental floss and resuable packaging like beeswax wraps from The Kain Projects, stainless steel bento boxes and a range of furoshiki (Japanese folding clothes) – the unifying theme being that all these items replace single-use products, from plastic to paper.
Even though Bliss Zero Waste Store has only been open for a few months and marketing is solely by social media and word of mouth, Loke happily reports that the response has been tremendous: “Zero Wasters have turned up and brought their own bottles to buy refills and stay for coffee. Friends and family pop up continually to buy bits and bobs for their homes. Total strangers have connected and friendships started. In these two months, we’ve had many repeat customers with a demographic of 70% Malaysians (all races), 10% expats (who have become regulars) and 20% travellers.”
Apart from selling products, Bliss Zero Waste also conducts activities to spread a more eco-conscious lifestyle to a wider audience. “We held a hot process soap making session with Mayura Apothecary and a beeswax wrap making workshop with The Kain Project. We also have how to use soapnuts and furoshiki workshops in the planning. We also have cooking activities for November and December!”
For Loke, Bliss Zero Waste Store is an extension of a desire to live a less wasteful lifestyle, one that she continues to strive for every day. “In my daily life, the biggest changes have been in the manner I shop. Now I subscribe to weekly vegetable and fruit boxes which means no packaging and helping organic farmers stay in business. It also means going to the wet market rather than supermarkets and taking home meat in large containers that I bring along rather than double wrapped in plastic bags which I will never use again. I buy rice, eggs, potatoes and onions loose, wrapped and packaged. I’ve also learned to stop using tissue paper and started using handkerchiefs, naked shampoo bars instead of liquid shampoo which saves more plastic bottles going to the landfill. Basically I’m living guided by the 5 Rs which are the pillars of Zero Waste practice – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot,” she states.
Whether on a personal level or professional level, Loke has found this experience a fulfilling one and is eager to encourage more people to begin their zero waste journey: “For zero waste to work effectively, there ought to be stores like ours in each neighbourhood to lessen the carbon footprint. It’s gratifying to see more zero waste enterprises mushrooming all over KL and I am adding another branch to the fray which will be in the suburbs. I am also very keen to encourage more Malaysians to start more such shops! You can start small and grow organically. I would really like to get the message out there. Lots of people are curious, some are open, some are not and will look at you like you are some kind of crackpot, but that’s okay.”
