Let’s face it, it is unlikely that we will bring all our furniture and electrical appliances with us to the UK. If your family and friends don’t need them either, remember there are many Hong Kongers who will benefit massively from your donation.

One of the charities that will take your unwanted items to people in need is Hong Kong-based Crossroads Foundation (國際十字路會) . They have been operating for 25 years. We spoke to them to find out why you should not throw your stuff away.

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What does Crossroads do? ⦁ 十字路會係做乜㗎

Every year, we distribute 200-220 containers’ worth of items to people in need. Half of the donations stay in Hong Kong: Crossroads sent donated items to 93 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and to 47 areas in Hong Kong for people who are on social welfare. The other half goes overseas, mainly for orphanages and schools.

We have 9 acres of land in New Territories where our warehouses are. Here, we handle donated items, fix and refurbish computers, for example.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossroads fixed a lot of computers and gave them to Hong Kong children who have no computers at home to help them with distance learning.

What items do Hong Kongers in need want the most? ⦁ 香港有需要嘅人最急需邊啲傢俬同電子用品

A lot of the people we help in Hong Kong require small furniture and electrical appliances for the small flats they live in. What they need the most is updated regularly on this page, but typically we need:

• Small items of household furniture, such as beds, tables and chairs ⦁ 小型傢俬，特別係細床，枱，櫈
• Rice cookers ⦁ 電飯煲
• Washing machines ⦁ 洗衣機
• Fridges ⦁ 雪櫃
• TVs ⦁ 電視
• Microwaves ⦁ 微波爐
• Vacuum cleaners ⦁ 吸塵機
• Blenders ⦁ 攪拌機
• Kettles ⦁ 熱水壺
• Irons ⦁ 熨斗
• Fans ⦁ 風扇

How do I donate? ⦁ 點樣捐贈物資

In Hong Kong, you can use an app called Goodcity.hk, an online goods donation system. It is available as a web version or as a mobile app.

Once you have registered, you can take photos of the items you plan to donate. Crossroads will review the items and let you know if the items are accepted.

You can deliver the goods yourself to their Tuen Mun office, or pay for a gogovan to pick up your furniture via their app – check out the price list here.

How do I know if something is good enough for donation? ⦁ 我唔知我啲物資會唔會太舊喎

The rule of thumb is it should be something you wouldn’t mind receiving yourself.

If it is an electrical item that doesn’t work or is not good, however, do take pictures of it and show Crossroads. They work closely with ALBA to recycle electronic waste.