Waste Reduction

Waste Management Hierarchy

CUHK's Waste Management Policy, based on a 'waste management hierarchy', emphasizes the '6Rs' principle: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle.   We accord top priority to waste reduction at source and encourage cyclical use of resources.  Disposal is the last resort.

Read more about CUHK's Waste Management Policy and its Guidelines

To raise the environmental awareness of its students and staff, CUHK also launches various campaigns to engage stakeholders in its waste reduction mission.

Plastic-free Campus Campaign Poster

Plastic-free Campus

The 'Plastic-free Campus' campaign, launched in 2018, aims to encourage CUHK students, staff and caterers to work together to go 'plastic-free' and build a sustainable green campus by discontinuing the use or distribution of plastic disposables. The campaign focuses on four key plastic disposables: straws, bottled water containers of 1L or below, cutlery and Styrofoam containers.

Water dispenser map in CUHK Mobile app

Bring Your Own Campaign and Water Map Project

Launched in 2013 to promote a less wasteful culture, this campaign seeks to discourage the use of disposable items such as bags, lunchboxes and bottles. Key elements of the campaign include:

·(a) CUHK Mobile app showing the location of water dispensers on campus; and

·(b) sponsorship of water bottles with a 'Bring Your Own Bottle' message for O’Camp students;

The 'CUHK Mobile' water map can be found under Campus Map > Facilities > Living Essentials > Water Dispensers.  Alternatively, visit the CUHK Campus Map

Love Food, Hate Waste @CUHK Campaign

Love Food, Hate Waste @CUHK

Launched in 2013, this campaign aims to reduce campus food waste disposal to landfills by recycling into compost

For details, please click here 

GO! Green Award Ceremony

Green Office Programme (GO!)

Launched in 2012, this programme revolves around a ‘GO! Checklist’ of green action items in which waste reduction is one of the four key areas of action.  'GO!' encourages staff and students to take simple measures to make their workplaces greener, and provides a platform for sharing successful practices.

Our ‘Yard for Environmental Sustainability (YES)’ in central campus allows us to collect reusable and recyclable materials (books, PVC banners, electrical appliances, toys & souvenirs, printer cartridges and clothes) for reuse, recycling and up-cycling. Interested staff and students can visit the huts to drop off or pick up items that can easily be reused. Materials will be recycled only when they cannot reasonably be reused.

Reuse and Recycling

More than 150 strategic locations have been established to collect recyclables.  Recycling bins for paper, plastics and metals can be found throughout the campus and in most buildings.  In addition, collection points have been established for other materials such as glass, printer cartridges, used clothes, banners, rechargeable batteries and polyfoam packaging.

Other facilities that encourage the recovery of waste materials include:

• The Yard for Environmental Sustainability (YES), located next to Y.C. Liang Hall, encourages the re-use or recycling of electrical appliances, fabrics, banners, toys, books, printer cartridges, glass and plastic goods; and
• Bookshelves have been made provided at YIA for the freecycling of books.