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on the orders of the Governor in Council. I myself was not responsible either for its drafting or for the decisions which it contains but I was required, as Director of Urban Services, to provide certain factual information (as was to be expected) and I was also invited to give my views on various issues.
Whether or not the White Paper should be debated in this Chamber is a matter for Members to decide. It will be on the agenda for the next meeting of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council when no doubt a decision will be made. However, I shall be very much surprised if, in the course of the annual debate starting this afternoon, Members do not take the opportunity to say something about the White Paper.
(7) MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN asked the following question:
(a) How long has the refuse collection point at Granville Circuit been sited there?
(b) Were there any complaints made by residents of the nuisance (noise and obnoxious smell) created by depositing, collection of rubbish and the rubbish at the collection point?
(c) If the answer to (b) is in the affirmative what steps (if any) have been taken to improve the situation?
(d) Is a substantial percentage of the refuse of Tsim Sha Tsui being deposited at the said Circuit to await collection by refuse vehicle?
(e) How many refuse collection points are there in Tsim Sha Tsui area apart from the site in question?
(f) Is this refuse being deposited at the said Circuit collection point daily from 7 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and then from the evening of the same day until the early hours of the next day to await collection?
(g) At what intervals or how many times during the day is the refuse at the said point being collected by refuse vehicle?
(h) Why is it that the collection point in the said Circuit not resited elsewhere in the Tsim Sha Tsui area?
(i) Is this point injurious to the health of the residents in the said Circuit or alternatively affects adversely the environmental hygiene of that small area having regard to the small area of the Circuit and the high density of residents and the obstruction caused?
(j) If the collection point will not be resited soon can the Department devise a system whereby rubbish deposited in the said collection point be contained in proper covered containers thereby reducing the emission of obnoxious smell and control the orderly placing of containers?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
This question concerns the refuse collection point at Granville Circuit.
The point is actually sited at the back of the Park Hotel and has been in existence for approximately 15 years.
Records show only one complaint made in January 1971 about this point. However, the staff have instructions to keep noise down to a minimum at all times and a Foreman is present during collection to see that staff obey. As to smell, steps are taken to complete each collection as soon as possible and the site is cleaned and washed with water after each collection.
It is estimated that about 18% (395 baskets) of the refuse collected in the Tsim Sha Tsui area is collected from this point. There are 8 other similar collection points in the area.
It is true that in recent weeks, junk, as opposed to refuse, has been dumped at this point from 7.30 a.m. to the late hours in the evening. Since the receipt of this question this practice has been stopped.
Three collections from the point in question are made daily between the hours of 8.25 a.m. to 9.05 a.m., 10.48 a.m. to 11.20 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2.25 p.m. It is not thought that the operation is injurious to the health of the residents in the vicinity or affects adversely the environmental hygiene of the area, although it must always be admitted that refuse collection is never pleasant or completely free from smell.
Unfortunately, no alternative site in the vicinity can be found to resite this point at present. However, since the receipt of this question, a Foreman has been posted to watch the site between collection times, and four private refuse collectors were found depositing refuse out of time. They were prosecuted.
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Page 152 of 242
Page 151 of 242
282
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
on the orders of the Governor in Council. I myself was not responsible either for its drafting or for the decisions which it contains but I was required, as Director of Urban Services, to provide certain factual information (as was to be expected) and I was also invited to give my views on various issues.
Whether or not the White Paper should be debated in this Chamber is a matter for Members to decide. It will be on the agenda for the next meeting of the Standing Com- mittee of the Whole Council when no doubt a decision will be made. However, I shall be very much surprised if, in the course of the annual debate starting this after- noon, Members do not take the opportunity to say some- thing about the White Paper.
(7) MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN asked the following question:·
(a) How long has the refuse collection point at Granville
Circuit been sited there?
(b) Were there any complaints made by residents of the nuisance (noise and obnoxious smell) created by deposit- ing, collection of rubbish and the rubbish at the collection point?
(c) If the answer to (b) is in the affirmative what steps (if
any) have been taken to improve the situation?
(d) Is a substantial percentage of the refuse of Tsim Sha Tsui being deposited at the said Circuit to await collection by refuse vehicle?
(e) How many refuse collection points are there in Tsim Sha
Tsui area apart from the site in question?
(f) Is this refuse being deposited at the said Circuit collection point daily from 7 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and then from the evening of the same day until the early hours of the next day to await collection?
(g) At what intervals or how many times during the day is the refuse at the said point being collected by refuse vehicle?
(h) Why is it that the collection point in the said Circuit not
resited elsewhere in the Tsim Sha Tsui area?
(i) Is this point injurious to the health of the residents in the said Circuit or alternatively affects adversely the en- vironmental hygiene of that small area having regard to
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283
the small area of the Circuit and the high density of residents and the obstruction caused?
(j) If the collection point will not be resited soon can the Department devise a system whereby rubbish deposited in the said collection point be contained in proper covered containers thereby reducing the emission of obnoxious smell and control the orderly placing of containers?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT Committee, replied as follows:-
This question concerns the refuse collection point at Granville
Circuit.
The point is actually sited at the back of the Park Hotel and
has been in existence for approximately 15 years.
Records show only one complaint made in January 1971 about this point. However, the staff have instructions to keep noise down to a minimum at all times and a Foreman is present during collection to see that staff obey. As to smell, steps are taken to complete each collection as soon as possible and the site is cleaned and washed with water after each collection.
It is estimated that about 18% (395 baskets) of the refuse collected in the Tsim Sha Tsui area is collected from this point. There are 8 other similar collection points in the
area.
It is true that in recent weeks, junk, as opposed to refuse, has been dumped at this point from 7.30 a.m. to the late hours in the evening. Since the receipt of this question this practice has been stopped.
Three collections from the point in question are made daily between the hours of 8.25 a.m. to 9.05 a.m., 10.48 a.m. to 11.20 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2.25 p.m. It is not thought that the operation is injurious to the health of the residents in the vicinity or affects adversely the environmental hygiene of the area, although it must always be admitted that refuse collection is never pleasant or completely free from smell.
Unfortunately, on alternative site in the vicinity can be found to resite this point at present. However, since the receipt of this question, a Foreman has been posted to watch the site between collection times, and four private refuse col- lectors were found depositing refuse out of time. They were prosecuted.
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