HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
205
At present, many private enterprises have started to implement an environmental management system in their enterprises. For example, more and more enterprises are adopting the ISO 14000 management standard as the guiding principle for reforming the quality and efficiency of internal environment management.
I am pleased to hear that the Central Government has plans to develop in this direction and that training courses are being conducted to guide various departments in establishing a more effective environmental protection management system. However, I hope that this is not only a voluntary education programme for departments to decide whether or not to participate. Rather, it should be a mandatory requirement for all departments to follow. At least, I hope the Urban Services Department will study this further and take the initiative to join relevant courses. The programme should be implemented in the Department and various municipal facilities. Progress reports should be made known to the public regularly too. Only by so doing will the USD's achievement in this respect be of promotional value among government departments and become a social model for others to follow. Through our published data, the public will know about the actual progress of government on environmental protection, how to monitor work in this respect, and in the end, follow the example of our Green Manager. We will then be playing a leading role.
Of course, to genuinely reduce waste generation, it is more important for government departments to promote a waste reduction scheme aimed at encouraging material recovery and recycling. The Urban Services Department should set a timely and appropriate plan for waste reduction which supports the system of Environmental Protection Department for implementation in Council facilities. At this point of time, the Democratic Party proposes that small refuse collection facilities should be installed at Council venues as a lead in promoting waste recovering and recycling. On the other hand, such facilities provide a chance for the public to participate and get first-hand experience of environmental education. Similar programmes organized in other countries have achieved significant results. Some of our Members who went on a study visit in March have stated in the report that different types of facilities have been set up in San Francisco, in particular, there is an educational centre for selling and acquiring recycled material. It provides an economic incentive for public participation which is something worthy of our consideration. I hope that the future working group will continue to follow up on this aspect.
To make environmental protection schemes successful in Hong Kong, the active and voluntary participation of the public is necessary. The unsatisfactory results of education campaigns on environmental protection in the past have their reasons. For example, the Government has been urging the public to use fewer plastic bags in recent years, but as we see it, the situation of abusive use has not been improved. In fact, the main reason for it is inadequate formal education in this respect.
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