An Interview with Waste Wise Co-Founder Martijn Ros

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about Waste Wise?

My name is Martijn Ros, and I’m a Dutch national who grew up in Hong Kong. I moved here in 1999 with my father, who was working in manufacturing in Hong Kong and later in China. Waste Wise started in 2020, when my co-founder and I came back to Hong Kong after university and wanted to build something in the sustainability space that could have real impact.

At first, we thought the solution was to develop and sell compostable alternatives to the single-use materials that became even more visible during COVID, especially PPE like masks and gloves. But we quickly realised that products alone were not enough. Hong Kong did not have the infrastructure yet to process these materials properly, which meant that even compostable alternatives would still end up as waste if there was nowhere suitable to send them. That pushed us to shift our focus from manufacturing materials to creating the composting and waste-processing capacity needed to support them.

What problem in Hong Kong’s waste landscape were you hoping to address when starting Waste Wise?

The biggest issue we wanted to address was the lack of practical solutions for organic waste in Hong Kong. Food waste is still the city’s largest waste category, and in 2024 the plastic tableware ban created another challenge, because many businesses were suddenly looking for alternatives without there being enough local facilities to deal with them. On top of that, there was a lot of yard waste that was not being properly processed either.

We saw there was a clear gap in the market and decided to build something that could help fill it. We started with an MVP model: one rented composting unit placed in a borrowed space through a contact in the waste industry. The idea was simple — test whether there was demand, see what kinds of waste we could process, and understand how a composting business could work in Hong Kong. From there, we began collecting and processing organic waste, while also testing how to handle compostable packaging and other new materials entering the city.

What inspired you personally to work on waste reduction?

That really clicked for me after university. I would not say sustainability had always been the main plan, but once I started thinking more seriously about waste, it felt like a problem worth focusing on. I also grew up in the Netherlands, where composting is much more normal and part of everyday life, so I already knew it could be done in a practical way.

Hong Kong is very different. Space is limited, land is expensive, and most people do not have the same backyard composting culture that exists in the Netherlands. At the same time, the city generates a huge amount of waste, so the challenge felt both urgent and local. I also spend a lot of time hiking in Hong Kong, and seeing waste in natural areas made the issue feel even more real. For me, it became less about chasing a perfect idea of sustainability and more about working on something concrete that could improve the system here.

How do you implement your waste reduction initiatives in Hong Kong, and how to schools and events fit into that work?

A big part of our work is education and contamination control. We work closely with clients before waste even reaches our facility, because the cleaner the waste is at source, the better the result will be. That means training staff in English and Cantonese, creating clear SOPs, and putting up signage that shows exactly what can go in each bin. We also make sure our signage includes icons and product examples, so it is easier for people to understand quickly.

Events have been a particularly good place to do this because they allow us to work closely with organisers in advance. At some events, we place volunteers at the waste stations to guide people and reduce mistakes on the spot. Schools are another important part of the picture. We have been working with the Canadian International School, and we have also reached out to other schools to explore ways of building better waste habits among students. The goal is not just to collect waste, but to help people understand why sorting matters and make it easier for them to do the right thing.

What are your hopes for Waste Wise over the next couple of years?

The main goal is scale. Right now, we are still in an MVP stage, but we want to grow from processing around 500 kilograms a day to five tonnes a day. That would make us much more competitive and allow us to serve more clients and more waste streams. We are also looking at larger partnerships, including potential pilots with major attractions and institutions, and we are developing a digital platform to track waste from source to downstream use.

Longer term, I think Hong Kong needs smarter waste tracking and stronger systems around organic waste. There is still a lot of education needed, but there is also real potential for practical progress if the right infrastructure is in place. For us, the goal is to keep proving that composting can work in Hong Kong, and that it can create value not just for businesses, but also for farmers, the environment, and the wider community.

What is your message for World Environment Day?

My message is simple: waste sorting matters more than people think. I understand that recycling can feel inconvenient but spending a few extra seconds sorting waste correctly at home, at work, or at events makes a real difference downstream. One piece of contamination can affect an entire batch, which means more work, lower-quality recycled materials, and less usable compost in the end.

So, on World Environment Day, I would just encourage people to do the small things properly. It may not feel like much in the moment, but if more people take that extra step, the impact adds up very quickly.