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Food recovery brings multiple benefits

December 06, 2015

Reducing waste

Reducing waste:  New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association staff and volunteers go to wet markets to collect surplus fruit and vegetables every evening.

Helping hand

Helping hand:  The food is sorted and cleaned before distribution to recipients.

Community effort

Community effort:  Staff and volunteers sort rice into bags for convenient distribution.

Gov't commitment

Gov't commitment:  New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Chief Executive Officer Sania Yau says fund support helps the charity project.

To encourage people to cherish food resources and reduce food waste the Environment & Conservation Fund (ECF) sponsors non-profit organisations in the recovery of surplus food for distribution to those in need. Since its start in mid-2014 the ECF has approved 10 projects with funding support of about $15 million.

 

The New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association received nearly $1.5 million to launch the Community Waste Reduction Project in Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan last June. It will run for two years.

 

Every evening staff and volunteers go to several wet markets in the districts to collect fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

Retailer Mr Chu helps package the surplus food.

 

"All this food cannot be sold. Throwing it away is a waste. I regard this work as doing charity, it's so simple."

 

Up to 100kg of fresh fruit and vegetables can be collected daily. The food is delivered to a warehouse for sorting and cleaning before being distributed to recipients the next day.

 

Overcoming hardship

The food is diversified. Besides fresh fruit and vegetables, there is rice, canned food, biscuits and drinks. Dry food is stored at the warehouse and recipients are welcome to collect it.

 

One of the recipients Ms Wong says she collects food three to five days a week, saying the project helps her get through life's difficulties.

 

"Bread is expensive and rent is high. Our lives are hard."

 

New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Chief Executive Officer Sania Yau said food is distributed to about 100 recipients a day.

 

"We have a screening process. Social workers help choose who receives the donations. Normally each recipient receives food for one month. Then they will review the situation and see if they still need the service. We do not want to cause dependence."

 

Raising awareness

With ECF support the association is better able to run the project. Ms Yau said capital is available to rent a factory building to store food, and she hopes 75 tonnes of surplus items can be collected and 48,000 portions can be served in two years.

 

"Uneven distribution of food is obvious in Hong Kong. There is a lot of waste. We are glad to see more people in the community paying attention to food recovery. The project also invites seniors, students and even Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients to be volunteers so they can interact with the community and enhance social inclusion."

 

The ECF was established in 1994. It provides funding support to non-profit making organisations to launch projects and activities that encourage people to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development through behavioural and lifestyle changes.

 

In 2013 the Government injected $5 billion into the fund as a long-term commitment and sustained support to environmental protection and conservation.

 

Since July last year the ECF has been funding non-profit organisations in the recovery of surplus food for distribution in the community.

 

The target is to collect 950 tonnes of surplus food in two years and donate 700,000 portions.



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