In an interview with news.gov.hk, Principal Environmental Protection Officer Lawrence Wong said the scheme, first launched in January last year, aims to channel waste electrical appliances for reuse and recycling instead of disposal.

"Technological advancement leads to fast emergence of new models of electrical and electronic equipment, and hence, a high obsolescent rate. A great number of appliances requiring only minor repairs are discarded," Mr Wong said.

"The discarded older models which are still in operating condition or those with minor defects fixed should be put to second-hand use. Their components and materials, including metals and plastics, can be recovered for recycling and reuse."

According to a department survey conducted in 2002, about 1.1 million appliances were dumped from households.

About 48% were sent to landfills, while the remaining 52% were given to friends and relatives for reuse or recovered by second-hand dealers.

"To reduce the amount of waste electrical appliances disposed of at landfills and to further promote recycling, we launched the recovery scheme last year," Mr Wong said.

Under the scheme, St James Settlement has been engaged to collect used electrical appliances which go through detailed checking and inspection by registered technicians to ensure they can still operate and are safe for use.

After that, they will be sent to those in need, including low-income and single-parent families, the elderly, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients.

Appliances that cannot be repaired are dismantled so that usable components and materials can be reused or recycled.

Mr Wong said last year's result was a success, with over 10,000 appliances collected.

"The programme was well-received by the public, and the amount collected exceeded our target by more than 40%."

Over 90% of the appliances were from housing estates and individuals, while the rest came from companies and organisations.

While 3,700 appliances needed repair and 300 could be used immediately, about 750 were entirely new.

"We got many fans and heaters last year, nearly 1,000 of each. Some 560 rice cookers and 540 radios were also received. Other popular items were refrigerators, microwave ovens and washing machines," Mr Wong said.

"We also got some unexpected items - a massage chair, face steamers and even electric keyboards. The chair will be delivered to an elderly home, which we think is most suitable."

More than 3,000 appliances have been given to about 650 needy people or organisations. The number of housing estates and organisations joining the scheme has reached 200.

"In view of the encouraging response and the demand for a service that properly handles waste electrical appliances, we have extended the scheme for another year - until the end of December.

"Our focus this year is to collect appliances with higher value for reuse, such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and microwave ovens which are mostly requested by recipients.

"A larger recycling workshop has also been set up to handle the collected items more efficiently and effectively."

To facilitate checking and inspection, Mr Wong advised people to simply label the 'working condition' of their waste electrical appliances.

"A simple remark on the defect or a comment 'OK' would greatly reduce the inspection time," he said.

For more details of the scheme click here, or contact the department at 2838 3111.