Turn food waste into dye and cut down on organic rubbish that ends up in Hong Kong’s landfills
Co-founded by Eric Cheung, Dyelicious offers dyeing workshops where the colours used come from tea, coffee and vegetables such as red cabbage
Food waste as clothes dye? Well, why not? Local company Dyelicious is holding weekend workshops at PMQ, in Central, in which participants pick from a range of plain white clothes, scarves, hats, bags, throws and more, and then dye them whatever hue and in whichever pattern they choose for a unique look that is also eco friendly (apart from the part where participants are expected to take away a new piece of clothing they may not need, of course).
Colours sourced from fresh-food waste are seasonal, with a blue derived from red cabbage, a yellow from onion and ginger, purple from sweet potato, brown from tea and coffee, pink from sakura wood and more.
Eric Cheung Chun-lam came up with the idea seven years ago. Having spilled curry on a white shirt, he found he couldn’t wash out the yellow stain, which inspired him to explore how food waste might be used for dyeing fabric. “We all throw away things that still have uses,” says the 27-year-old Dyelicious co-founder. “We are simply highlighting food waste as one, letting people see the possibilities.”
Cheung adds that making colours from such organic waste is no easy task. Dyelicious has spent six years perfecting its hues. Each workshop lasts 2½ hours, with participants using dyes prepared in advance. The clothes are placed in vats of boiling dye and left to soak for up to 30 minutes.
Since 2017, Dyelicious has held about 900 workshops, attracting some 10,000 people, Cheung says, adding, “We have handled about 600 to 700 tonnes of food waste.”