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(1) the refuse collection vans sometimes do not collect all the refuse; (2) sometimes the collection vehicles do not come at all; and (3) some of the collection vehicles themselves give off a large amount of smoke which is itself unpleasant both to pedestrians and other vehicles in the area.
Could I therefore have an answer as to: (a) why do the Urban Services Department's vehicles sometimes not collect all the refuse? (b) why do they sometimes fail to appear at all? (c) why do they sometimes emit a mass of smoke?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE replied to the question (in English):-These questions relate to the operation of refuse collection vehicles in the Eastern District. Before answering these questions, I would like to give some background information on the existing refuse and junk collection arrangements.
In the Eastern District, about 350 tonnes of refuse and 40 tonnes of junk are deposited at 178 collection points each day pending collection by our Department. Operating on two shifts, a fleet of 25 vehicles provides daily collection service both during the day and in the evening. These vehicles operate according to a fixed schedule and visit the collection points at prescribed times.
The department has always endeavoured to ensure that all refuse and junk are removed from the collection points at the end of each day. Nevertheless, the collection schedule may sometimes be disrupted because of breakdowns of vehicles and traffic accidents, etc. In such circumstances, the department would expeditiously arrange for replacement or additional vehicles as far as possible to clear up the refuse and junk so that they are not accumulated overnight. However, on occasions when both the breakdown and downtime rates of vehicles are high, priority would have to be given to the clearance of organic waste, and it might take a couple of days to clear all the junk from some of our collection points. Junk, being non-putrefiable and of an inorganic nature, allows for relatively longer storage. Perhaps these occasions have given the impression that our Department's vehicles sometimes do not collect all the refuse at the collection points.
It is also pointed out that refuse collection vehicles sometimes do not go to the collection points at all. The fact is that there are occasions when the breakdown and downtime rates of the refuse collection vehicles are so high that the vehicles available, while trying to cope with the organic waste, cannot serve the junk collection points in some areas. For example, in the past three months, the total number of vehicle breakdown incidents in North Point and Chai Wan ranged from 24 to 35. Despite the replacement or additional vehicles, junk accumulated at some collection points for up to six days.
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The following improvements will be made to the collection service in the Eastern District, namely: (a) 25 replacement vehicles fitted with dual-purpose bin-lifting devices will arrive in January/February next year. Further procurement of another 25 vehicles will take effect upon the closing of the tendering exercise on 3 November. Also, 50 additional vehicles have been included in the estimate for the financial year 90–91. In short, it is the Council's policy to speed up the replacement of some of our older refuse collection vehicles; (b) consideration will be given to adding more vehicles to the existing fleet serving the Eastern District to cope with the increasing demand; and finally (c) the department will devise a more effective system of redeploying refuse collection vehicles which have spare capacity to cover those which have broken down.
As regards the emission of excessive smoke by refuse collection vehicles, the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, who is responsible for the maintenance of our vehicles, has been requested to improve the situation. To eliminate the problem in-house, the department has installed Hartridge Smoke Meters at the Whitfield Depot and the Sai Yee Street Depot to test the smoke emitted by refuse collection vehicles on a daily basis. Vehicles found to emit smoke exceeding the acceptable level are sent for repairs immediately.
So with the above measures, I hope that in the near future, there might be some improvements in refuse collection in the Eastern District.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):-I wish to thank Dr. LEUNG for his very full answer, which I will also pass on to the Chairman of the Environmental Improvement Committee of the Eastern District Board.
MS. CHRISTINA TING YUK-CHEE (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, with regard to the refuse collection problem, I have mentioned in the Environmental Improvement Committee of the Eastern District Board that more new refuse collection vehicles will be bought by the Urban Council. I would like to know that since all the new vehicles can only arrive in January 1990, how we are going to cope with the problem before these new RCVs arrive? Another point is: most of the refuse comes from public housing estates which have refuse collection chambers but not junk collection chambers. With the increasing improvement in living standards, old televisions and furniture are disposed of outside the refuse collection chambers. The accumulation of these junks gives the impression to residents that the Council is not collecting refuse. I would like to know whether the Department will consider liaising with the Housing Department to provide junk collection chambers in old public housing estates, such as those provided in the new Chai Wan Estate, so that residents would not have the feeling that junks are not collected for up to six to ten days.
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