Our environment impacts directly on our standard of living, but Hong Kong’s predicament is uniquely distressing given its status as a financial hub and global city. The responsibility of recycling much of Hong Kong’s waste has fallen on the elderly who are forced to rummage through waste bins to find plastic or cardboard scraps.

⓷ ⓶ ⓵

The average waste picker is a woman between 60 - 89 years old and on a good day she earns a mere $24 HKD. With little opportunity to support themselves, they are forced to labour for over 8 hours a day in order to afford their next meal. They are an integral part of Hong Kong’s ability to salvage plastic and paper for recycling. They are not, however, provided adequate government support or praise for their arduous work. At their most vulnerable state, they are disregarded by the public.

⓶ ⓵

We believe the decrease in human interaction between communities in the city has resulted in a lack of care and compassion for the people around us.

⓵