CUHK
News Centre

Shaw College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has made it into the Guinness Book of Records for glass bottle recycling. In celebration of its 30^th year of establishment, the College and its Alumni Association co-organized “Follow the Green Brick Road: Glass Bottles Recycling Guinness World Record Challenge” on campus on 10 January . They have now officially set a first Guinness World Record by recycling 1,147kg of glass bottles in one hour. 

Witnessed by the Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, Prof Joseph JY Sung, who brought with him his own bottles to support the event, and 550 students, staff and members of the public, the Guinness World Record Adjudicator announced the breaking of the world record upon completion of the one-hour collection. The Guinness World Records certificate was then presented to Professor Justin Wu, Associate Head of Shaw College and Dr. Dexter Leung, President of Shaw College Alumni Association. 

Mr Wong Kam-sing, JP, Secretary for the Environment of HKSAR Government officiated at the event as the Guest of Honour  and others present included Prof Andrew Chan, Head of Shaw College, Mr Zinc Lam, Eco-entrepreneur and Ten Outstanding Young Persons 2009 awardee, Ms Kitty Chau, Senior Programme Director (Strategic Partnership) of the Christian Family Service Centre, Ms Helena Lam, President of the College Student Union Executive Committee, alumni representatives and supporting organizations. 

Shaw College and its Alumni Association have joined hands to engage various sectors of society in supporting waste reduction at source by promoting a more sustainable lifestyle and campus. All glass bottles recycled through this event were collected by Sha Tin Community Green Station operated by the Christian Family Service Centre. The recycled glass will be processed into eco-blocks by K. Wah Construction Materials Limited. These eco-blocks will be used to pave the College Alumni Trail in acknowledgement of participants’ contributions. 

The College and its Alumni Association would also like to express their gratitude to other supporting organizations that made this Guinness World Record attempt possible, including Sam Hing Scales Factory Limited, Meraviglia Bar e Ristorante and Nestlé Hong Kong Limited. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus was also invited to make a special appearance and performed a Cantopop song, “Reaching for the Stars” by Danny Chan. 

Professor Andrew Chan, Head of Shaw College, said in the opening ceremony that global warming and environmental conservation should be everyone’s concern. Only by working together and committing to reducing waste could we save our planet. The Fifth Pillar of Shaw College, “Protecting the Environment” supports this mission by appealing to its students, staff and alumni to treasure planet resources and conserve the environment. 

During his address, Mr. Wong Kam-sing, JP, Secretary for the Environment of HKSAR Government expressed his support for this recycling initiative. He thanked Shaw College for dedicating its efforts to promoting environmental conservation and enabling green living to take root in the university campus. The objective of this event was not only to set a new Guinness World Record but also to encourage the public to practise glass recycling. 

Families enjoyed the outdoor carnival setting that included booths set up by green organizations, social enterprises and student organizations, as well as exhibitions that promoted environmental conservation and sustainability. 

About Shaw College 

Shaw College was established in July 1986 through the generosity of Sir Run Run Shaw, a world-renowned philanthropist who kindly accepted an invitation to become the patron of the College. The College motto, ‘Xiude Jiangxue’, is taken from a Confucian saying that highlights the cultivation of virtue and pursuit of knowledge. The College slogan, ‘Excellence with a Soul, Leadership with a Heart’, echoes this motto by promoting the cultivation of a sound moral character in the pursuit of knowledge and the development of caring hearts among those in high positions. The College has also devoted substantial effort to providing its students with opportunities for whole-person development within five major domains, or the ‘Five Pillars’: ‘nurturing moral character’, ‘serving the community’, ‘caring for the motherland’, ‘developing a global perspective’ and ‘protecting the environment’.