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$50k boost for ST School Pocket Money Fund

A year-long campaign to turn e-trash into cash has resulted in organisers collecting more than four times the amount they had hoped for in used electronic devices.

The HP Make IT Green Campaign, which kicked off in January, had set a goal of collecting 50 tonnes in used personal computers, laptops and display monitors at six community centres and 24 schools here.

So far, more than 200 tonnes of e-waste have been collected for the campaign, which will run till the end of this month.

With funds raised from selling refurbished devices, HP donated $50,000 to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Mr Lionel Chng, the managing director of HP Singapore, yesterday presented a cheque for the amount to Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group and editor of The Straits Times.

Mr Fernandez is also chairman of the fund, which provides pocket money to children from low-incme families to help them through school, and benefits about 10,000 children every year.

Mr Chng said: "We wanted to play a role in helping (students) understand better the dangers of e-waste, and the positives of e-waste recycling."

A National Environment Agency survey showed 60 per cent of consumers were unsure of proper ways to dispose of e-waste and only 6 per cent of it was recycled.

More than 63,000 students took part in the campaign.

SPH staff also donated used PCs, laptops, monitors, chargers, keyboards and peripherals yesterday at the Make IT Green stall at SPH News Centre in Toa Payoh North.

HP is pledging 100 per cent of the proceeds to the pocket money fund.

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.