Waste

All waste on campus is taken to a central facility, where it is weighed and the information is recorded in a database. By using QR codes on bins at the building level and on bags at the departmental level, the monthly report can accurately determine the amount of waste generated in each area of the campus. The data is then uploaded to the public website monthly.

In 2023-24, HKUST generated a total of 1,752 tons of waste, a decrease of 4% compared to the 1,828 tons of waste in 2022-2023. Compared to the base year (2014-15), waste generated reduced by 47%,

Moreover, HKUST's waste reduction progress is 60% compared to the 75% target set to be achieved in 2028. This is due to the combination of effective strategies that focuses on four key areas, namely recycling, food waste, compostables, and reductions at source (i.e., preventing waste from entering the campus in the first place). Now we have more than 15 types of materials for recycling ranging from common paper, plastic containers, metal to polyfoam, animal bedding and landscape. We hope to divert as much waste as possible from landfill through this aggressive recycling program.

The recycling amount in 2023-24 has decreased by around 7% compared to last year. Food waste was the biggest part in the recycling program, occupied 42% among all the recyclables. Landscape was the second highest recycled material, representing 27% of total materials diverted from the landfill. Paper was the third highest recycled material, contributing 11% to the total recycling amount.

In the 2023-24 academic year, the waste to landfill decreased by 4% from 1,828 tons last year to 1,752 tons, while the recycling amount decreased by around 7% to a total of 1,086 tons recyclables collected in 2023-24. The waste diversion rate was 38%.