On the move towards zero waste

Waste management has always been a priority in the sustainability development roadmap of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Due to the diverse nature of activities on the campus, a wide variety of wastes are generated and collected on a daily basis, ranging from general wastes and recyclables to special and hazardous wastes. The University has taken great steps to reduce waste generation through different initiatives and has implemented measures to deal with particularly special wastes to minimize its impact on the environment. It also spares no effort to promote a waste-less culture and encourage recycling behaviors among its staff, students, and alumni.

PolyU’s efforts in waste management and cultivating eco-awareness are underpinned by its governing Sustainability Policy and various related policies, including the Waste Management Policy, confirmed in 2014. These policies established the framework for waste management at the University. They also set a promising objective of reducing waste being disposed of to landfills through implementing green procurement practices, administrative approaches and awareness enhancement on campus.

In addition to having these policies, it is not surprised to know PolyU has invested tremendously in translating these sustainability-related policies to practice. It has introduced new recycling facilities such as the UniRe^® and enhanced existing infrastructure on campus to cope with the waste problem. It works with caterers and recyclers to collect food waste from campus and hostels canteens and get its staff involved by encouraging them to drop their food waste conveniently into some food waste buckets in the pantries. It has identified new possibilities and brought to life different campus-wide programs and campaigns such as the Paper Reduction Campaign in July 2017 and phasing out the sale of bottled-water (below 1 liter) since September 2017.

“We are giving people confidence that we are taking our responsibilities and commitment seriously, and we want to engage everyone on campus in this green movement,” explained by the Head, Campus Sustainability Mr. Joseph Chan. “We have increased and improved communications and behavioral change initiatives for the campus community with an aim to promote reduce, re-use and recycling. We want to involve everyone, get their support, and educate them about the pressing urgency to reduce waste and the potential to better dispose of our resources.”

PolyU is aware of the need to develop a sustainable waste management strategy. Minimizing the amount of waste sent to landfill and increasing the amount re-used or recycled is clearly a priority. The first step to this strategy is to conduct a waste audit on campus which is a systematic procedure to review the University’s daily operations and subsequently, waste generation. It enables the University to make informed decisions on how to allocate resources for waste reduction and recycling programs and presents an opportunity to devise better waste management planning for the future.

After rounds of discussions among concerned parties, walk-throughs and inspections over the Main Campus and the two Student Halls of Residence (Hung Hom and Homantin), the actual auditing exercise was conducted in October 2017. The waste audit team tagged the refuse bags and the recyclables collected from campus buildings and premises carefully and performed a random sampling of them. The team then opened each bag in turns and sorted the waste and other materials by categories such as non-recyclable waste, paper, plastics, metals, disposables, etc. Finally, the team recorded the weight of the sorted materials and made detailed records. Over 1.2 tonnes of waste were sampled from the Main Campus, Hung Hom Hall, and Homantin Hall respectively in this exercise, which spanned several weeks.

The waste audit exercise means much more than the quantifying process resulting in an analysis of the types and quantities of waste that the campus is generating. It tells a lot about the trends and waste habits being observed on campus. It was noted that the amount of waste being generated could be much less than it should be, in particular, much dumped food could be avoided if people were more mindful while ordering and buying food items. Quite a lot of recyclables could probably be diverted from the waste stream if people practice source separation with care and adhere to clean recycling. Dropping the recyclables into the proper recycling bins in the first place could certainly help.

Furthermore, it was not difficult to see disposable tableware, takeaway lunchboxes, straws and single-use beverage containers in the waste bags. They could be one of the biggest sources of waste that eventually end up in landfills.

The waste audit findings reveal that there is a huge potential for waste reduction at source and better waste segregation. The results enlighten the University to volume what could be recycled, what could be reused, and what can be eliminated. “The waste audit enables us to make necessary adjustments to improve and maximize our waste reduction programs and recycling education. We need to address the issue that a lot of the items thrown into trash bins daily could be diverted for reuse and recycling. More importantly, we need stronger and more effective measures to reduce waste generation,” supplemented by Joseph.

Conducting the waste audit is only part of PolyU’s work towards a zero waste institution. The University has recently launched a campaign which is seen to be a deliberate gesture to respond to the waste and recycling challenges. It has commenced a trial arrangement on 19 March 2018 that brings about greater Bring-Your-Own (BYO) discounts and charges on disposable lunchboxes and cups at designated campus/hostel catering outlets during non-peak hours. This trial exercise aims to bring out sustainability education for everyone on campus which is far more important than its monetary implications. It is about calling the campus community to give a thought to their consumption behavior as their purchase will risk damaging the environment when they go together with disposable take-out containers. It reinforces that idea that we can have alternatives to those unnecessary and unsustainable waste products when we opt for bringing our own containers and utensils. It also offers a setting for helping students and staff to gain a better understanding of sustainable living practices and the opportunity to make a difference as they contribute to waste reduction.