On a busy day, a bar can make 1000 drinks a week; 6 bartenders make 160 drinks each and taste those drinks half the time with a plastic straw that’s 1440 straws a week. Multiply that by 4 grams per plastic straw, then by 52 weeks that’s .3 tonnes of plastic a year… in one bar. Multiply that by the bars in your neighbourhood, then by your city, then by your country, and then by the world. The number grows exponentially, showing the impact that small decisions in consumer choice can have in terms of waste and production.

So what’s the next step? In this talk, bar manager Tom Egerton questions how the culture of crafting creative cocktails has bred a culture of singleuse produce and as a result, a culture of waste. Where does the responsibility lie? With the consumer or the producer? The maker or the buyer? After years of serving in tieandwaistcoat style speakeasies, Tom Egerton hung up his arm garters and traded them for something less formal. He now manages the bar at Potato Head in Hong Kong, where he crafts cocktails with maximum flavor and minimal waste. That means reusing, recycling and repurposing ingredients—from pineapple skin to bamboo sticks—that would otherwise end up in a landfill and working to implement conscious practices in hospitality. Raised in New Zealand, Tom has traveled as far as Tokyo to Havana in search of his next cocktail. His experience spans bars, hotels and kitchens in Dubai, North America and most recently Australia, where he managed Sydney’s Eau De Vie, an awardwinning drinking den for whisky worshippers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx