HKUST Pilots Two Smart Waste and Water Reduction Measures to Promote the Development of Eight Sustainable Campuses | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has successfully tested out two carbon reduction measures — an Artificial Intelligence-driven (AI) Reusable Meal Container Lending System and a Water-Saving Smart Showerhead. Both were developed under the leadership of the Jockey Club Sustainable Consumer Programme (JCSCCP) earlier this year and will be fully implemented on the campuses of all eight publicly-funded university members of the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium (HKSCC) in the autumn of 2023.

Excessive consumption of disposables and water resources not only places a significant strain on the environment but also increases carbon emissions, exacerbating global warming. To promote sustainable campus development, HKUST took the lead to trial a Water-Saving Smart Showerhead in February saving close to one million liters of water, equivalent to the average daily water consumption of seven thousand and seven hundred Hong Kong residents. The water project was soon followed by an AI Reusable Meal Container Lending System in mid June, which has already eliminated over 300 disposable lunchboxes from our landfills in a relatively short period of time.  

Mr. Davis Bookhart, Director of HKUST’s Sustainability/Net-Zero Office and Chair of the JCSCCP Steering Committee, said “The key to these measures is to help users to change their behaviors in a fun and easy way.” He noted that feedback from users has been positive because users consider these interventions to be interesting and attention-grabbing.  He continued, “The recent advances in AI, IoT, and FinTech have allowed us to develop a truly 21st century solution that reflects the innovative spirit of our institutions.” The two measures are expected to be fully installed on the campuses of all eight members of the HKSCC in the autumn of 2023 and will be promoted through workshops, various challenges, and reward schemes to cultivate the habits of bringing reusable meal container and water-saving among students. These will propel the sustainable campus development.

As the first such system among universities in the Asia-Pacific region, the AI Reusable Meal Container Lending System is a combination of distribution and reverse vending machines for lending and returning the meal container respectively. Each machine can provide 120 reusable lunchboxes and operate 24/7. The machines are equipped with internal cameras and AI Object Recognition software, allowing users to borrow a lunchbox by paying a HK$20 deposit with their Octopus Card. The deposit will be fully refunded upon returning the used container. Users do not need to clean the containers before dropping them off, as the used containers will be cleaned by a professional dishwashing partner to guarantee they are sterilized before being returned to the lending machine. Campus caterers also offer discounts to encourage the use of BYO meal containers, resulting in personal savings.

HKUST also piloted the Water-Saving Smart Showerhead in the student halls starting in February, encouraging students to save water by taking shorter showers. The innovative showerhead features an intergrated water-powered LED light that changes color in line with actual water usage, urging users to hurry up. At the same time, the water flow rate is as low as 6.6 liters per minute, which is even better than the highest-rated conventional showerhead under the Water Efficiency Labeling Scheme, saving up to 26% of water. Real-time data such as the average shower time and volumes will be displayed online and in participating halls’ lobbies, raising students' awareness of water-saving. Currently, HKUST has installed 85 smart showerheads in two halls of residence, making them accessible to over 1,000 students yearly. A further 895 smart showerheads will be installed in a total of 17 student residence halls among the eight campuses of the HKSCC, which is expected to be used by nearly 6,000 hall-based students.

The JCSCCP, funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, will implement a series of campus improvement and education initiatives in each of its member institutions: City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HKUST, and The University of Hong Kong, to groom a new generation of more responsible and thoughtful consumers. The project management team coordinating the JCSCCP activities is housed within the Sustainability/ Net-Zero Office at HKUST.

About the Jockey Club Sustainable Consumer Programme (JCSCCP)
Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the JCSCCP was developed as a collaborative initiative by HKSCC, representing the eight UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong. The goal of the Program is to promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. It aims to inspire a new generation of more responsible and thoughtful consumers. Reducing single-use disposables and promoting water-saving on campuses are the key priorities of the program.  
More details about the JCSCCP launch can be found at https://jcsccp.hk/ or https://www.instagram.com/jcsccp_hk/.

About the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium
The Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium was established in 2010 by the Heads of Universities Committee of the Hong Kong SAR. Members of the Consortium include City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong. The Consortium is a platform for the institutions to share information and best practice on sustainability-related issues. It is also responsible for implementing the Hong Kong Declaration and reporting the results of environmental performance indicators adopted by the higher education sector in Hong Kong. Member universities take turns to take up the convenorship of the Consortium on a yearly basis. In 2023, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is handing over the role to The City University of Hong Kong.
More details about the Consortium can be found at https://www.hkscc.edu.hk/.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 2nd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2023, and our graduates were ranked 30th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking and Survey 2022. As of early 2023, HKUST members have founded 1,645 active start-ups, including 9 Unicorns and 11 exits (IPO or M&A), generating economic impact worth over HK$400billion. InvestHK cited QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 to demonstrate the performance of five world’s top 100 local universities in several innovation-centric areas, among which HKUST ranked top in four engineering and materials science subjects.