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Year-end recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment helps people in need (with photos)
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     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has collaborated with 400 housing estates in organising the year-end recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and promulgate the message of "Use Less, Waste Less". The WEEE recovered will be repaired and donated to those in need.

     The Chinese New Year (CNY) WEEE Recycling Collection Services programme aims to help the local community to properly dispose of their WEEE, computers, rechargeable batteries and fluorescent lamps and tubes. The items collected will be repaired and refurbished by the parties in charge of the recycling programmes and donated to the needy. The remainder will be dismantled so that reusable components and materials can be recovered.

     Colleagues from the EPD and Caritas-HK Computer Workshop (the Workshop) earlier visited an elderly couple in Un Chau Estate, Sham Shui Po and took along a recycled computer which had been repaired. The recipient, Mr Poon, used to write up and share his blog with his buddies as well as online friends. Mr Poon said his old home computer had broken down, but using the donated computer he would be able to get online again and stay connected with the community. The couple also planned to use software to carry out some training for health improvement. Mr Poon's old computer was collected by the Workshop for proper recycling.

     An EPD spokesman today (February 4) said, "The EPD has organised year-end recovery activities for eight consecutive years. This year some 400 housing estates signed up to the activity and carried out promotional work with residents starting three weeks before the Chinese New Year. So far the EPD has collected over 5,800 pieces of used computer and electrical appliances from them - a satisfactory result." The EPD then arranged for the collected items to be transferred to three supporting organisations for treatment. They are:

(a) Caritas-HK Computer Workshop;
(b) WEEE GO GREEN Project of St James' Settlement; and
(c) Computer Recycling Programme, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Programme and Fluorescent Lamps Recycling Programme managed by the Hong Kong WEEE Recycling Association.

     The close working relationship between Caritas Hong Kong and St James' Settlement and other social services assists in the distribution of repaired WEEE and computer items to the needy and helps achieve the ultimate goal of resource recovery.

     More information on the CNY WEEE Recycling Collection Services and the list of participating estates is available at: www.wastereduction.gov.hk .

Ends/Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:00

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