“I knew there was an online marketplace for Lantau, but I wanted to start a flea market, as I liked the idea of the car boot sales that they hold in the UK and New Zealand,” she says. “But I found out that in Hong Kong I would have to obtain a licence if any money changes hands, so Freecycle was a better option.”

Having picked a location – on the Mui Wo waterfront next to the umbrella-like Japanese Superb Fig tree, Lendrum-Bordoli simply put the word out and then let her Freecycle freewheel.

The first event was held in May 2019, and right from the start the stalls were rammed with high-quality odds and ends.

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“There has always been so much really good stuff – designer heels, televisions, electronics, toys, books and all sorts of clothes,” says Lendrum-Bordoli, who grew up in Hong Kong, the daughter of a British father and a Chinese mother.

“Of course, I picked up some stuff for myself too – baby clothes and fairy stories for my daughter.”

To date, Lantau residents have flocked to a dozen Freecycles, which are held in conjunction with a recycling drive called WasteFree Mui Wo.

“We set up shop right next to McDonald’s, which I realise is one of the big corporates but at least it was easy to find,” says Lendrum-Bordoli. “It’s right next to the Discovery Bay jetty too, so a lot of people waiting for the ferry, or who had just disembarked, wandered over to see what was going on. They really liked the concept and promised to bring items to the next Freecycle.

“Some folk who’ve not been to a Freecycle before don’t quite get the concept, and ask me what the price is. Then they’re amazed that it’s totally free, which would be unusual anywhere but is especially so in Hong Kong.”

Right from the outset, Freecycle was as much a social event as it was a statement about the environment, as friends, neighbours and complete strangers found themselves drawn together in novel circumstances.

“People are much more careful nowadays due to social distancing, but Freecycle really is a very amicable event,” says Tamara Vantroyen, who lives in Mui Wo.

“There’s real pleasure in passing on something that you don’t want any more to someone who you know is going to value it. And very often you will see somebody you know and have a natter with them.

“We took a big load of books to one Freecycle – either ones we’d read and didn’t want to read again or which we’d dipped into and didn’t like so much. Other people snapped them up, but at the same time we found a lot of books that we wanted to read, so we brought them home with us. So much for freeing up more space.”

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One of the reasons Freecycle runs so seamlessly is that the few rules are straightforward and bound by common sense.

“We don’t take broken items, as we’re not a dumping ground for people’s rubbish, and we reserve the right to turn items away,” says Lendrum-Bordoli.

“If someone else hasn’t picked up your stuff by the end of the day, it’s not because you’re lacking in taste, but you do have to come and take it home. And of course, nowadays you need to keep your mask on and not go round rubbing shoulders with everyone.”

Having called a halt to Freecycling when the coronavirus began to spread, Lendrum-Bordoli started up again in January 2021, at a new location by Mui Wo’s public housing estate well away from the pier, just to see if it would work.

“For the first time ever, absolutely nobody turned up,” she says. “Somebody had just put out an appeal for second-hand stuff which was going to be sent to the Philippines, so that pretty much emptied people’s attics, so to speak.

“At the end of the day, things were getting recycled and that is the whole object of what I’m setting out to do. I’m happy for it to go anywhere, as long as it’s not to the landfill.”

Over the course of two years, Freecycle – one of very few events of its kind in Hong Kong – has struck a chord with residents.

“One of the great things about Freecycle is that you never know what you’ll come across there,” says Mui Wo resident Shizuka Yasui. “I found a really good-quality wraparound skirt, which if I was out shopping wouldn’t be the kind of thing I’d buy for myself, but people nearby said it suited me – and it did. I also got some fish-skin chips. They were close to their expiry date but I tried them anyway and they turned out to be a really exotic snack.

“South Lantau has a very useful Facebook site for buying, selling and swapping, but sometimes I’m too busy to handle the communications and logistics that it involves. Freecycle is so simple – you just bring your stuff and take what you want. And it’s a great way to give a new lease of life to things you don’t need any more.”

Aira Fernando, who also lives in Mui Wo, says: “Of course, Freecycle is helping the environment, and it’s free, but on a personal level I’ve found so many things there – water bottles, books, toys, you name it.

“You also find some really odd things that you need but might not know where to buy, like a big pair of wheels for a trolley that have come in really useful.”

Another island resident, C.K. Tasioni, who numbers aloe vera plants and antique maps among the treasures she has found at Freecycle, reckons the event and the locale are a natural fit. “This kind of open-source market makes sense for somewhere like Lantau,” she says. “In the city it’s easier to take donations to charity shops, but there’s nowhere like that here on the island.”

With Freecycles set to be held roughly every month this year, Lendrum-Bordoli says she’s satisfied with her progress so far.

“I always wanted to live in a more circular economy. I don’t like the idea of waste,” she says. “The world is under threat because of climate change and I don’t like the fact that people throw away perfectly good items, especially if they’re perfectly OK to use and your next-door neighbour could be buying exactly the same one.”