Ordinary consumption in extra-ordinarily small homes: Acquisition,storage and decluttering practices of micro-apartment residents

Abstract

Advocates of tiny housing associate small living spaces with more sustainable consumption practices. This may be true for voluntary minimalists, but may not be true for those who reluctantly live in micro-apartments out of financial constraints. Yet, the impacts of small living spaces on everyday consumption practices in unaffordable cities are not well-understood. To fill this gap, this study focused on micro-apartment residents in Hong Kong with less than 20 square metres per capita. Through qualitative interviews, the study investigated how small living spaces influence residents’ acquisition, storage and decluttering practices. The study uncovered distinctive forms of taste-space trade-offs, and accelerated passage of usable goods from clutter to waste. Shared consumption of bulky goods in communal spaces can reduce storage needs, although not all forms of sharing are culturally acceptable. These findings extend the theoretical literature on ordinary consumption practices, while offering practical insights for waste management strategies in cities with rapid growth of micro-homes.