Hundreds of people turned up at Bishan Community Club on Saturday (7 November) for the Project Zero Waste Marketplace, where most items sold for 50% to 70% of their usual price.
Saturday’s pop-up was the eighth edition of the market. Local vegetable growers and large food distributors were among the vendors selling surplus stock, food nearing its expiry date and goods with imperfect packaging.
What Shoppers Bought
Packs of steamed buns went for S$2 each. At one fruit stall, shoppers could pick the fruit they wanted for their S$8.90 box.
Bishan resident Angie Khoo, 53, bought more than 10kg of frozen meat at half price, The Straits Times reported. Her haul included pork chops, ribs and chicken. On earlier visits, she had picked up blueberries and raspberries for about half the retail price.
How a Food Rescue Effort Became a Market
The market began in 2023 and runs two to three times a year. It grew out of a volunteer effort that has collected surplus and near-expiry food donations since 2022 and handed them out to residents for free each month.
Sylvia Loh, chairperson of the Bishan East-Sin Ming Green Action Committee, told The Straits Times that volunteers started the market to give vendors a way to recoup some of their costs and introduce shoppers to their products.
Food distributor Lim Siang Huat offered some items, including instant noodles and ready-to-cook paste, below cost to keep them from going to waste.
