Hong Kong's environmental awareness has grown in recent years, and many residents are in the habit of sending their old clothes for recycling. But recently an advertisement for something called "Green Source Recycling" has appeared on social platforms, claiming to offer door-to-door collection of old items with cash payment — it is actually a scam. A woman surnamed Chen told the media that after seeing the ad she took the initiative to get in touch, and the other party asked her to transfer HK$80 first before arranging a door-to-door pickup. Highly alert, she immediately shot back: "Are you treating me like a fool?" (你系咪当我傻㗎?) and successfully avoided the scam.

Ms. Chen said the ad claimed you could get money for recycling old clothes, which drew a lot of attention, but in reality it was a trap of paying first and getting service later. She hopes to warn other residents that legitimate recycling services do not charge a door-to-door fee, let alone use cash-for-clothes as bait. Police have so far received no related reports, but they urge residents who encounter suspicious situations to keep records of the conversation and report them to the police.

This scam reflects how active the second-hand clothing recycling market has become, but it also reminds the industry that as the sector booms, fraudsters will seek to profit from it too. When taking part in old clothes recycling, residents should choose reputable organizations or platforms and watch out for suspicious demands such as "pay first." The industry should also step up publicity to teach the public how to spot scam tactics, so that together we can safeguard the healthy order of the recycling market.

Source: Get paid for recycling old clothes? Pay HK$80 before you even meet anyone? A sharp-eyed viewer avoided the scam with one bold line! - Scoop Plus · Originally published on 2026-08-30