The hundreds of participants at the SG Climate Rally on Saturday (21 Sep) show how much our society cares about the environment.
What we don’t see at such events, however, are the unlikely eco warriors like this quaint provision shop in Hougang.
Selling food items in bulk and without plastic packaging, Hougang Wholesale Centre at Blk 108 Hougang Avenue 1 is blazing the trail for other retailers.
Step into a supermarket and you’ll find countless types of food packaging, with some in large multi-pack sets. Imagine the amount of plastic that goes into those.
Hougang Wholesale Centre removes all that and presents the products as they are. From huge sacks of rice to large biscuit tins, customers buy straight from the original containers.
The large, 25kg sacks of rice hold different varieties like Thai fragrant rice, aged rice or fresh crop.
And for snacks, the shop offers everything from healthy options like dry beans and nuts, to Julie biscuits and the classic Khong Guan crackers.
The snacks are displayed in the old school biscuit tins, which may evoke a sense of nostalgia as you do your round of grocery shopping.
How do you bring all that home, you ask?
Bring your own containers of course. That way, you’ll only take what you need, no more, no less. Better still, you can take a little of each type of item on offer and decide which you like best before coming back for more.
It appears that the products are priced by weight, so you’ll only pay for exactly what you take. No more paying for air in your food packets.
Sandra, the administrator of lifestyle blog Mono and Co who discovered this shop, shared the owner’s advice:
Try a little first, if you like, buy more next time. Don’t waste food.
It’s heartening to see small businesses do their part to help the environment. If we all do what we can to chip in, there’s hope yet for a better future for everyone.
If you’re keen on visiting, here’s more information on the shop:
Address: 108 Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1323, Singapore 530108
Opening hours: Daily, 7am-6pm (closed on Thursdays)
Nearest MRT station: Kovan
Featured image adapted from Facebook, Facebook and Facebook.
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