HEALTH
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contain smells, with the more effective water-scrubber system now replacing carbon filtration as the de-odorising method. Following the successful trial of a static refuse collection compactor at the Yeung Uk Road Market, its use is being extended to other suitable refuse collection points in the New Territories.
In July, the Urban Council introduced on-street containers for the deposit of dog droppings.
There are phased plans to refurbish and improve public toilets. The Urban Council hosted the Asia-Pacific Seminar on Public Toilets 1994 as a forum for the exchange of ideas and management experience. During the year, 14 public toilets were renovated in the urban area. The Regional Services Department has begun detailed planning to modernise 21 old-style, trough type, toilets and improvement works to 602 aqua privies. Subject to technical feasibility, 33 of the latter will be converted to the flushing type. The cleansing of 199 public toilets and 42 bathhouses has now been contracted-out. The councils provide a free desludging service to public aqua privies and septic tanks. The service is also provided on a charge basis for private facilities upon request.
In view of the potential hazards from the improper disposal of clinical waste, the Regional Services Department undertook to provide a separate collection service for clinical waste from government clinics and hospitals prior to the completion of a central incineration facility. A special team has been assigned to collect about 8.5 tonnes of waste each week from 43 stops on three collection routes.
The Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign continued to be a major publicity-effort, with emphasis on education and community involvement, supplemented by enforcement. The Joint Urban Council/Regional Council Keep Hong Kong Clean Steering Committee, with assistance from district boards, organised district-based activities during Clean Hong Kong Week in November to encourage participation from the public and local bodies. Subsidies were provided to district organisations under the Keep Hong Kong Clean Activities Funding Scheme for local projects, to encourage anti-littering and discourage the indiscriminate dumping of rubbish.
To educate the younger generation on the importance of keeping the territory clean, additional children's stories were produced for the story-telling 'telelines'. This has been hugely popular since its introduction in December 1993.
In hand with the publicity campaign, legal action has been stepped up against littering offences, with particular emphasis on the littering of handbills and littering from vehicles. During the year, 36 658 litter offenders were fined a total of $12.35 million.
Controls
Staff of the two municipal services departments enforce the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance to ensure that the mandatory standards of public hygiene are main- tained. The staff regularly inspect licensed and permitted premises, common parts of buildings, squatter areas, construction sites and undeveloped land. They respond to complaints about sanitary nuisances and vermin infestation.
For the prevention of vector-borne diseases, the Urban Services Department and the Regional Services Department carry out integrated programmes to control rodents, mosquitoes, flies and other public health pests. Measures taken include environmental improvement, eradication of breeding places, health education and law enforcement.