Choose reusables
Single-use disposables are a significant contributor to the overall amount of waste going to landfill. Choose to use reusables in your daily life to help reduce waste and conserve important natural resources.
There are various reusable options—from bottles, cups, containers, to cutlery. Bring your own reusable for your campus life, or borrow a reusable from various services on campus to develop a sustainable lifestyle!
Bring Your Own
Cultivate a Bring Your Own (BYO) habit on campus and bring your own reusables for your daily life.
Bottle
Our campus is plastic water bottle-free. We implemented a ban on single-use bottled water in 2018, and provide a reusable bottle to incoming students each year to facilitate their usage of over 150 water fountains on campus.
Cup
Bring a reusable cup when ordering your coffee or drink on campus. Many campus outlets offer discounts when you BYO—you can save as much as HK$120 in a month if you buy coffee daily!
Container
Ordering a takeaway or can’t finish your food? Use a reusable container to pack your meal to reduce single-use disposable waste.
Cutlery
Keep a set of reusable cutlery to help you stay sustainable conveniently!
HKUST works with our campus caterers to provide discounts for students and staff who use reusables for takeaway, to encourage sustainable habits. Explore the various discount options for BYO here: https://cso.hkust.edu.hk/cat/fw
Borrow Your Reusables
Forgot to BYO? No worries, HKUST offers services that allows you to borrow reusables like lunchboxes, cutlery, and cups for free. Borrow what you need, enjoy your meal or drink, and return the items to keep them in use. It helps HKUST build a zero-waste campus while making eco-friendly choices effortless and accessible for all!
Reusable Lunchboxes
Reusable Cups
We launched a lunchbox lending program in 2023 as part of a cross-university collaborative initiative. It offers a convenient solution for students and staff to borrow reusable lunchboxes and cutlery, helping them be eco-friendly and save money at the same time.
To borrow, all you need is an Octopus card to pay a fully-refundable deposit of HK$20! There’s no need to wash after use—just return the lunchbox at the AI-driven return point, and our campus’ dishwashing facilities will take care of the rest!
The Starbucks on campus offers a Borrow A Cup Program, where you can choose to borrow a reusable cup for a takeaway drink, while receiving a HK$1 discount.
To borrow, ask the staff on-site for assistance, or enter the promo code on the Starbucks app! Simply return your used cup at the store within 30 days to use the service for free.
How It Works
To Borrow
1. Select the item(s) for borrowing
2. Tap your Octopus card to pay the HK$20 deposit for each item
3. Get your container
4. Enjoy your meal!
How It Works
To Borrow
1. Download Muuse App (App Store | Google Play Store)
2. Request the reusable cup option upon your purchase from store’s barista or enter the promo code "BAC" on the Starbucks app
3. Scan the QR on the cup and confirm borrow on the Muuse app
4. Enjoy your Starbucks beverage!
To Return
1. Remove food waste and liquid
(Cleaning? No need, we will do that for you!)
2. Put the cutlery inside the container (if any)
3. Tap your Octopus card
4. Put the container at the center of the detection tunnel, and press OK
5. Tap your Octopus again to collect the HK$20 deposit refund. Finished!
To Return
Drop off your reusable cup at the return kiosk in Starbucks within 30 days of your purchase.
- No need to scan or clean the cup before returning
- A return confirmation will be sent via the Muuse app within 48 hours.
Locations
Lending Machines:
• Outside LG1 Canteen
• Outside Passione / LT-D
Return Machines:
• Atrium (Near Lift 2)
• Outside Passione / LT-D
Locations
Borrowing and Returning:
Starbucks