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MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Mr. WONG for providing his information and submitting some photos concerning litter bins used overseas. I understand that the Urban Services Department has already studied his suggestion while reviewing the design quality as well as colour scheme of litter containers. We hope that the Department will be able to inform Mr. WONG of the outcome of the study soon.
MR. CHAN TAK-CHOR (in Cantonese): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have two questions. Firstly, when will the Urban Council replace all the old litter containers with new ones? I remember that recently at the Public Health Select Committee meeting, we had also discussed the matter of privatising the cleansing service in Tai Kok Tsui. I would like to know if we replace all the old litter containers with new ones, and if we still do not find marked improvement, can we not advance the hours of cleaning the streets or emptying these litter containers? I hope that Mr. PAO can also give us some information on when the street sweepers start their work? What is the earliest hours they start work? I hope that by advancing the hours, we will be able to improve the situation and cause less nuisance to pedestrians. Usually these litter bins are around bus stops and the problem of overflowing has caused great nuisance to residents in some old districts.
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, Mr. CHAN has asked several technical problems. I will try my best to answer. Concerning when we will be able to replace all old litter bins with 100 or 150 litter bins. According to my memory, it will take about three years. Secondly, as to whether we can ask our cleansing workers to start work earlier, according to my understanding, street sweepers start their work earlier than people go out to street, i.e., around 6.00 a.m. to 7.00 a.m. But, as I mentioned in my reply, in fact, these containers are emptied six times daily. They are not just emptied once every day. By advancing the hours of emptying the litter containers may not really be so effective. But in any case, we will relay Mr. CHAN's opinions to the Department to see whether it will help to reduce the problem if the operational hours are advanced.
THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In commercial areas, some private companies have sponsored placing some litter containers. There are different designs of litter containers and are of different sizes. I wonder whether the Council has been involved in the design and clearance of refuse over these private litter containers?
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, this question concerns the design of litter containers sponsored by private companies and whether their views have been taken into account. I am afraid this is not the case because these containers are really for the use of pedestrians to deposit small objects such as tissue papers. They are not for the use of the shops. However, we have attempted to approach shop owners in busy areas and to try to solicit their sponsorship for litter containers. Mr. LI's suggestion of soliciting commercial sponsorship is a good direction. We have done this in the past. I agree that in future the Public Health Select Committee should consider further extending the scope of sponsorship.
THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, let me clarify the issue. Is it correct that private companies can design different types of litter containers according to their wishes and then ask the USD staff to empty these litter containers for them?
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, this is not the case. When we seek commercial sponsorship, the designs of these litter containers will be standardized because these containers must be efficient, good looking and durable, and we will use our own design. We have just asked them to donate a sum of money for the production of these containers.
MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, Mr. PAO has told us that there would be publicity campaigns asking citizens not to place bulky waste around these litter containers. I think it is a very good and effective means for the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign programmes to disseminate this piece of advice through the radio and TV APIs. But let me cite an example. Around the Wan Chai MTR Station close to the Southorn Centre, a lot of old furniture, old obscene magazines, old electrical appliances have been placed there for sale. This has been plaguing the Wan Chai residents for over ten years. According to Mr. PAO's reply, there is an impression that usually these people or these scavengers who sell rubbish, will get the sympathy of local residents. However, this is not the case in Wan Chai. The Wan Chai residents think that these pilferers have encroached the footpaths by placing old furniture there and they have to walk on the main road outside of the pedestrian paths. I would like to ask if prosecution is not having its deterrent effect, can we ask the Legal Department or the concerned authority to impose higher penalties on these people who are selling waste around the streets? Which department, other than USD, can we co-operate to solve the problem?
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I think the Chairman of the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee is in a better position to answer this question because this concerns the selling of these so-called waste items on streets. I would be delighted to pass the floor to the Chairman of the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee.
MR. CHAN TAK-CHOR (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Mr. PAO for passing the buck to me. In fact, this question involves a lot of street sleepers living around Southorn Playground. I know that the society is very concerned about the problem of street sleepers which is particularly serious in Wan Chai. Perhaps we have to contact the SWD and the Police for joint actions. I will certainly refer this question back to my Select Committee and I hope that the USD will also follow up the matter.
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MR. CHAN KWOK-MING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have two questions. I would like to ask Mr. PAO whether there is sufficient manpower to clean the rubbish on streets in Mong Kok because I understand that a lot of cleaning staff do not want to work in Mong Kok because they don't want people to know that they are working as cleaning staff. It is a matter of face. Secondly, there are not enough RCPs in Mong Kok while we have a lot of litter bins, so usually the cleansing staff will need to travel a longer distance between the litter bins and the RCPs. They have to take a long trip. On Saturdays and Sundays, there are not enough people cleaning the litter bins or even cleaning the rubbish from the RCPs. Mr. PAO told us that there was a mobile cleansing team. Is one mobile team enough as there are so many people going to Mong Kok on Sundays and Public Holidays?
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, according to the zero growth policy of the civil service, it is true that there is a shortage of manpower. Secondly, Mr. CHAN said that there was an insufficient number of refuse collection points in Mong Kok. This may be true. I think Mr. CHAN will understand that in Mong Kok District, because of a short supply of land, many urban services facilities are inadequate. RCP is just one example. So, in fact, the USD has always continued to fight for more RCPs being built in Mong Kok. I hope that Mr. CHAN and other members from Mong Kok District will persuade the Mong Kok District residents who do not like RCPs to be built near their residences. As for how we can solve this problem because of the lack of RCPs, of course, in the long run, we need to have more RCPs. We will fight for land. In the short term, in Mong Kok, the operational hours of some RCPs are extended to 11.30 p.m. to improve the situation. But I can see that marked improvement within a short period of time may not be possible because there are a lot of limitations in Mong Kok. Certainly, the USD will endeavour to make sure that the cleansing staff will do their utmost and to see whether there are other practical arrangements to improve the situation.
THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in the typhoon shelter of Eastern District, people coming ashore from yachts place their rubbish in the RCPs. Can we consider deploying more staff to clean the RCPs or can we increase the size of the litter containers placed there during holidays?
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, these two measures are effective means to solve the problem. For enlarging the size of the litter containers, we have already started this only for six months. We have increased the litter containers to 100 or even 150 litres, i.e., 100% more in size. But certainly, we will review whether these sizes are suitable or perhaps we will further increase these sizes. The second point asks whether we can send more staff to clean the rubbish during a special period of time. I will refer this suggestion to the USD to see whether this can be done.
MR. STEPHEN LAU MAN-LUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, if I remember correctly, ten years ago in Nullah Road, when we built the RCP, there was a very...
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