MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 1981
NT CLEANSING SERVICES TO BE MODERNIZED
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THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT IS TO INTRODUCE LABOUR-SAVING DEVICES TO MODERNIZE ITS CLEANSING METHODS AND TO FULFIL ITS RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE RENEWED KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN CAMPAIGN.
SPEAKING AT A MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES AT PENINSULA HOTEL THIS EVENING, THE DIRECTOR OF NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES, MR JIMMY SWEETMAN, SAID THE MODERNISATION WOULD FURTHER HELP TO REDUCE PUBLIC SPENDING AND THE STAFF ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS DEPARTMENT.
+ AM HOPING TO GET 64 BRAND NEW REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES BEFORE THE START OF THE CAMPAIGN AS WELL AS THREE STREET-WASHING VEHICLES, 12 DESLUDGERS, AND EXPERIMENTAL COMPLEMENT OF VILLAGE VEHICLES TO BE USED ON NARROW PATHS, MR SWEETMAN SAID.
+TWO OF THE VILLAGE VEHICLES HAVE BEEN GENEROUSLY DONATED BY LEADING NEW TERRITORIES PERSONALITIES.
+ I HOPE THAT BY MAKING IT EASIER TO GET REFUSE OUT OF THE LESS ACCESSIBLE PARTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, WHERE AT PRESENT SO MUCH RUBBISH IS DUMPED INTO STREAMS, IT WILL SERVE NOT ONLY THE AIMS OF THE KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN CAMPAIGN BUT WILL ALSO LEAD THE WAY TOWARDS GREATLY REDUCING AND. IN THE MORE SENSITIVE AREAS, REMOVING ENTIRELY AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION, HE SAID.
MR SWEETMAN SAID IT WAS HIS FIRM BELIEF THAT AT LEAST UNTIL WE COULD TACKLE AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION AS A WHOLE WE COULD NOT REALLY MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN CLEANING UP THE NEW TERRITORIES.
FOR THIS, HE SAID, THE GOVERNMENT MUST MAKE IT EASIER TO GET DOMESTIC, INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL REFUSE PROPERLY COLLECTED AND REMOVED, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE AREAS WHERE POLLUTION IS A REAL DANGER TO OUR FUTURE HEALTH.
+ I FEEL WE MUST FIND SOME WAY OF BANNING PIG FARMING WHILE ENCOURAGING ITS LARGER SCALE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE DEVELOPMENT IN OTHER AREAS, HE STRESSED.
REFERRING TO HIS DEPARTMENT'S ATTEMPT TO BRING ABOUT MORE EFFICIENCY PARTICULARLY IN REMOVING THE VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF REFUSE PRODUCED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR SWEETMAN SAID: WE ARE URGENTLY INSTITUTING A CLEANSING REVIEW TO OVERHAUL OUR PRESENT PRACTICES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE AIMS.
+THIS WILL BE PART OF A LARGER REVIEW AND POSSIBLY A CONSULTANCY ON THE WHOLE QUESTION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT.+
ON THE SECOND KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN CAMPAIGN, MR SWEETMAN SAID WHILE NEW INITIATIVES WERE BEING INTRODUCED, IT WAS NECESSARY MEANWHILE TO BRING ABOUT SOME IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT TO THE PRESENT POOR STATE OF CLEANLINESS AND INCREASE THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
/+THE NEW