Page 14 of 126
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
24
during driving by dripping sand and gravel all the way between the building site and the dumping ground or material stores. Should these drivers also be prosecuted as having purposely thrown debris from motor vehicles? If so, what are the penalties? If not, how can we keep Hong Kong clean by neglecting this fact?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):- Mr. Chairman, it is supposed that Councillor YUEN'S question means that when collecting and putting the construction wastes in the disposal sites and the wastes are not properly protected from falling off the vehicle and if this is noticed, I think our staff, the USD staff, will take note of this and if the driver of that vehicle is caught red-handed, I think actions will be taken.
MR. RONNIE M. C. WONG (in English):- Can the representative of this Council or the department recommend to other central government departments to put heavier penalties on those people who dump on the ground?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): The answer is definitely yes. Because you will remember that when discussing about the fixed penalty ticket for littering, we voted against and it is decided not to impose a fixed penalty, so that the Judiciary will have a discretion to impose heavier fines. So the lobbying should be towards the Judiciary rather than other departments because it is up to the courts and magistrates to impose penalty against the offenders and to this end, I think the Keep Hong Kong Clean Steering Committee has written to the Central Government and also to the Judiciary and magistrates in the courts to put heavier penalty when there is small littering or dumping of a large scale of whatever wastes.
3. MR. JOHN M. K. WU asked the following question (in Cantonese): In order to beautify the environment, some district boards have placed planters at suitable locations of the districts and grow some plants there. Usually, contractors for supplying the plants are responsible for their maintenance for the first six months, but after this period, the Recreation and Amenities Office of USD will take over the watering work at the request of the district boards.
It is a fact that some people lacking in social ethics may treat the planters as dustbins and discard litter into them. However, the rubbish is left unattended as it is not known whose duty it is to clean it.
So, I would like to ask:
(1) Can the USD prosecute those who discarded litter into the planters? If it has been the case, how many such prosecutions are recorded?
(2) Can the Department assist in cleaning up the rubbish in the planters so as to ensure cleanliness of the environment?
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese): The question is in two parts and I shall answer each of them separately.
Page 14 of 126
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
25
The first part of the question is whether the Urban Services Department can prosecute those who discard litter into the planters, and if so, how many such prosecutions are recorded.
All Amenities Assistants of the Urban Services Department are authorized to issue summons to litter offenders whether these occur in Urban Council leisure venues or roadside amenities areas such as planters. However, the difficulty is apprehending the litter offenders red-handed. Consequently, no prosecution is recorded during the past two years with regard to offences of littering planters.
The second part of the question is whether the Department can assist in cleaning up the rubbish in the planters so as to ensure cleanliness of the environment.
The clearing of rubbish from planters on pavements is undertaken daily by the beat cleansing staff of the Department. In addition, the litter in the planters is removed by the district staff when they carry out horticultural maintenance of these planters. This is done once to three times a week depending on the location of the planters and the frequency of horticultural maintenance required.
The Department has also taken some measures to alleviate the litter problem in the planters. These include:
(i) providing litter bins adjacent to/near the planters;
(ii) mobilising special litter-picking squads when the situation warrants; and
(iii) displaying notices and signs in the planters to alert people not to discard litter into them.
The Department is also considering contracting out the cleansing service of roadside amenities such as planters.
MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):- I find that Mr. Wu's question concerns the placing of planters in certain areas by district boards. Mr. CHAN doesn't seem to answer this part of the question. Is USD responsible for cleaning the rubbish in the planters placed by various district boards after the six months' maintenance period? Can Mr. CHAN explain more clearly in this respect?
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):- The fact is once the planters are there, the person who puts the plants will be responsible for taking care of them. After six months, the planters will be handed over to the Urban Council and if the plants die before the six months' period, the district boards will have to replant them in the same areas. So, we are responsible after the first six months. Indeed, what Mr. Wu says in the question has already answered Mr. TONG's supplementary.
MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I would still like to ask the following. Is that meant that what is set up by the district boards would become the responsibilities of the Urban Council for management because we have district...
Page 14 of 126
Page 14 of 126
Page 14 of 126
24
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
during driving by dripping sand and gravel all the way between the building site and the dumping ground or material stores. Should these drivers also be prosecuted as having purposely thrown debris from motor vehicles? If so, what are the penalties? If not, how can we keep Hong Kontg clean by neglecting this fact?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, it supposed that Councillor YUEN'S question means that when collecting and putting the construction wastes in the disposal sites and the wastes are not properly protected from falling off the vehicle and if this is noticed, I think our staff, the USD staff, will take note of this and if the driver of that vehicle is caught red-handed, I think actions will be taken.
MR. RONNIE M. C. WONG (in English):-Can the representative of this Council or the department recommend to other central government departments to put heavier penalities on those people who dump on the ground?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): The answer is definitely yes. Because you will remember that when discussing about the fixed penalty ticket for littering, we voted against and it is decided not to impose a fixed penalty, so that the Judiciary will have a discretion to impose heavier fines. So the lobbying should be towards the Judiciary rather than other departments because it is up to the courts and magistrates to impose penalty against the offenders and to this end, I think the Keep Hong Kong Clean Steering Committee has written to the Central Government and also to the Judiciary and magistrates in the courts to put heavier penalty when there is small littering or dumping of a large scale of whatever wastes.
3. MR. JOHN M. K. Wu asked the following question (in Cantonese): In order to beautify the environment, some district boards have placed planters at suitable locations of the districts and grow some plants there. Usually, contractors for supplying the plants are responsible for their maintenance for the first six months, but after this period, the Recreation and Amenities Office of USD will take over the watering work at the request of the district boards.
It is a fact that some people lacking in social ethics may treat the planters as dustbins and discard litter into them. However, the rubbish is left unattended as it is not known whose duty it is to clean it.
So, I would like to ask:
(1) Can the USD prosecute those who discarded litter into the planters? If it
has been the case, how many such prosecutions are recorded?
(2) Can the Department assist in cleaning up the rubbish in the planters so as
to ensure cleanliness of the environment?
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese): The question is in two parts and I shall answer each of them separately.
Page 14 of 126
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
25
The first part of the question is whether the Urban Services Department can prosecute those who discard litter into the planters, and if so, how many such prosecutions are recorded.
All Amenities Assistants of the Urban Services Department are authorized to issue summons to litter offenders whether these occur in Urban Council leisure venues or roadside amenities areas such as planters. However, the difficulty is apprehending the litter offenders red-handed. Consequently no prosecution is recorded during the past two years with regard to offences of littering planters.
The second part of the question is whether the Department can assist in cleaning up the rubbish in the planters so as to ensure cleanliness of the environment.
The clearing of rubbish from planters on pavements is undertaken daily by the beat cleansing staff of the Department. In addition, the litter in the planters are removed by the district staff when they carry out horitcultural maintenance of these planters. This is done once to three times a week depending on the location of the planters and the frequency of horticultural maintenance required.
The Department has also taken some measures to alleviate the litter problem in the planters. These include
(i) providing litter bins adjacent to/near the planters;
(ii) mobilising special litter picking squads when the situation warrants; and (iii) displaying notices and signs in the planters to alert people not to discard
litter into them.
The Department is also considering contracting out cleansing service of roadside amenities such as planters.
MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):—I find that Mr. Wu's question concerns the placing of planters in certain areas by district boards. Mr. CHAN doesn't seem to answer this part of question. Is USD responsible for cleaning the rubbish in the planters placed by various district boards after six months' maintenance period. Can Mr. CHAN explain more clearly in this respect?
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):-The fact is once the planters are there, the person who puts the plants will be responsible for taking care of them. After six months, the planters will be handed over to the Urban Council and if the plants die before the six months' period, the district boards will have to replant them in the same areas. So we are responsible after the first six months. Indeed, what Mr. Wu says in the question has already answered Mr. TONG's supple- mentary.
MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):Mr. Chairman, I would still like to ask the following. Is that meant that what is set up by the district boards would become the responsibilities of the Urban Council for management because we have district
Page 14 of 126
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.