The duty of owners
It is the duty of owners of fire extinguishers to ensure the proper maintenance of the fire extinguishers. Under the existing legislation, the owners shall have the fire extinguishers inspected by a registered fire service installation contractor (RFSIC) at least once a year. In addition, the fire extinguishers shall undergo a hydraulic pressure test every five years to ensure that such fire service installations are always in good standby conditions. For the disposal of unserviceable fire extinguishers, members of the public are advised to first contact the supplier or an RFSIC to arrange for collection or follow-up.
The duty of RFSICs
It is the duty of RFSICs to ensure the proper handling of unserviceable fire extinguishers prior to their disposal in accordance with the notes on maintenance of fire extinguishers as set out in Appendix 11 of the Codes of Practice for Minimum Fire Service Installations and Equipment and Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Installations and Equipment(Codes of Practice). For example, stored-pressure type extinguishers should first be discharged and then have their contents cleared or collected according to appropriate procedures; the dry powder of dry powder type extinguishers should be collected for subsequent recycling or disposal; and clean agent fire extinguishers should be discharged to a closed recycling system.
Improper disposal of fire extinguishers will not only pose risks to the public, but may also result in prosecution. For details, please refer to the Codes of Practice and the Fire Protection Notice No. 11 issued by the Fire Services Department (FSD), as well as the questions on “Fire Service Installation” under “Fire Safety” in the FAQ section on the FSD’s website. The relevant web pages are as follows:
| Subject | File |
|---|---|
| i. Codes of Practice |  |
| ii. Fire Protection Notice No. 11 | |
| iii. FAQ |  |
Disposal and recycling of fire extinguishers
The disposal and recycling of fire extinguishers are regulated by the Environmental Protection Department under the Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354) and its subsidiary legislation, the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap. 354C). Under the above legislation, unserviceable or abandoned fire extinguishers with chemical substance or stored pressure should be properly handled and disposed of as chemical waste. Owners of fire extinguishers are advised to first contact an RFSIC to arrange for collection prior to disposal or recycling of the compressed gas cylinders. For fire extinguishers whose gas or substance has been exhausted, they can be recycled as waste metal after being discharged.
Improper disposal of fire extinguishers containing harmful substance is a contravention of the provisions of the Waste Disposal Ordinance, which is an offence liable to penalties upon conviction, and the convicted persons may be required to pay for the cost of handling such extinguishers.
Moreover, any person who dumps waste (including fire extinguishers with pressure and chemical substance discharged) in a public place may contravene the Waste Disposal Ordinance and the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance (Cap. 570). A number of government departments (including the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Police, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Housing Department, etc.) may issue fixed penalty tickets to the person concerned under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance.
Other relevant information
| Subject | File |
|---|---|
|
Leaflet |
|
|
Poster |
|
| List of Fire Service Installation Contractors | |
| Letter to Registered Fire Service Installation Contractors - Disposal of fire extinguisher (17.8.2016) | |
| Letter to Registered Fire Service Installation Contractors - Disposal of fire extinguisher (02.02.2018) | |
| Happy Daily - Fire Prevention Video - Tips for Disposing of Fire Extinguishers and Gas Cylinders |  |