Drop and Adopt: Preloved by You, Reloved by HKUST

Stop! Don’t shop! Adopt! Searching for your hall check-in essentials? We've got you covered! This catchy tagline encapsulated the essence of the heartwarming campaign, Drop and Adopt, spearheaded by the Green Team. As each semester draws to a close, we witness a surge in waste given up by student halls. Recognizing that bulky or inconvenient-to-transport items often end up discarded, we pondered the fate of these still-useful belongings. Can we breathe new life into these items rather than sending them off to landfills?

Designed as a thoughtful response to the recurring issue of waste surge during semester transitions, Drop and Adopt is an ingenious project not only aimed to reduce the waste that often plagues landfills but also sought to seamlessly repurpose useful items within our vibrant community. The pilot run launched during the Fall semester of 2024 underscored the necessity of this initiative, with students donating a staggering 270kg of items over just the course of three weeks.

Among the treasure trove of donations, beddings and blankets emerged as the bulk of contributions. Despite their excellent condition—often having served just one semester—these items posed a logistical challenge for departing students, particularly those with limited luggage space like exchange students. To prevent these essentials from meeting an untimely end in landfills or being rejected by traditional clothing donation charities, the team opted to laundry these items and sell them at a nominal cost, thereby offsetting the cleaning expenses.

As the distribution commenced on the arrival day of new exchange students, the initiative was met with outpouring positivity and gratitude. Exchange students embraced the initiative wholeheartedly, recognizing the value of sustainable practices and the convenience of acquiring essential items affordably. Their testimonials reflected a deep appreciation for the initiative's dual benefits: environmental consciousness and community support.

One crucial takeaway from this inaugural run was the power of empathy in donations. By emphasizing the recipients—students joining in the upcoming semester—the quality and suitability of donations surged, with over 80% of items deemed fit for redistribution.

The campaign successfully diverted over 200 kg of items from landfills, with excess donations either being given to charity or kept for future distributions. While this pilot run catered to a small group of students who had to vacate their halls mid-semester, we anticipate a significant increase in donations during the upcoming spring semester, when all students are required to move out. Building on the insights gained from this trial, the team aims to expand and sustain Drop and Adopt each semester, ensuring that preloved items find new homes and reloved by the HKUST community.