Waste Me Not’: A SUSHUM Project that Sparks Interest in Cross-Border Eco-Art

The SUSHUM Sub-Project, ‘Waste Me Not’, is igniting a collaborative spirit for environmental care through art, bringing together students, educators, and local partners to pioneer creative waste reduction. The project partnered with the University of Otago in New Zealand as part of “?Topia: A Multi-Sited Community Art Experiment”, linking creative communities across Hong Kong, Dundee (Scotland), and beyond. The project’s outcomes will also be showcased at the ‘Energy-in-Motion’ conference in June 2025.

Grounded in community co-creation, ‘Waste Me Not’ began by engaging over 20 EdUHK students and staff to identify campus needs. Their call for more restful spaces led to a creative solution: transforming discarded plastic bottles into colorful bean bags. Participants were involved from shredding bottles and designing to sewing the bean bags, making sustainability a hands-on campus experience.

At Notre Dame College, the project took shape after conversations with students and teachers. With space constraints ruling out bean bags, student art ambassadors suggested another idea—crafting classroom signboards from recycled plastic bottle caps. This initiative quickly gained momentum, with 380 students joining plastic-shredding workshops and creative sessions, turning everyday waste into practical, vibrant art for the school.

Bringing together four partners—the Hill Workshop (community art education studio), Notre Dame College, Gaau1 Up Design Studio (an NGO specialising in plastic upcycling), and Sewing MaMa (local sewist)—‘Waste Me Not’ has become a model of cross-sectoral collaboration.

Event highlights:

9 May & 9 June-– EdUHK: Plastic-shredding recycling lunchtime & after school workshops (bean bag creation);

29 April; 15, 19 & 20-23 May – Notre Dame College: Eco-art upcycling workshops (classroom signboard creation)

This project not only reimagines waste as a resource, but also shows how art can foster environmental stewardship across generations and continents. As ‘Waste Me Not’ prepares for its international showcase, it stands as a testament to the transformative power of art and community in building a more sustainable and caring future.