ENG-2015 — Page 197

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

In 2015, the FEHD's Intelligence Unit continued to track down vendors selling chilled meat as fresh meat and, in collaboration with the Customs and Excise Department and the Centre for Food Safety, carried out 26 raids, launched 26 prosecutions and seized 1.95 tonnes of smuggled

meat.

Public Cleaning Services

The FEHD provides services for street cleaning, household waste collection and public toilets. All streets are swept one to eight times a day, depending on their conditions. For main thoroughfares, flyovers and high-speed roads, mechanised cleaning is provided. Depending on the conditions of different districts, public streets are washed daily or as and when there is a need. Additional cleaning services are provided where necessary to maintain environmental cleanliness and hygiene.

Household waste is collected all year round. In 2015, about 75 per cent of waste collection services was outsourced and about 5,540 tonnes of household waste were collected daily by the department and its contractors.

In 2015, one new public toilet was constructed and 17 public toilets and one aqua privy were refurbished. Toilet attendant services are provided at heavily used public toilets.

The department takes enforcement action against littering, spitting and other unhygienic practices in public places. In 2015, it issued some 36,180 fixed penalty notices.

The

government launched a two-month 'Keep Clean 2015 @ Hong Kong: Our Home' campaign. in August. With the concerted efforts of the relevant bureaus and departments, the 18 District Councils, and different sectors in the community, various activities which helped fortify cross- sectoral collaboration and community-wide participation were rolled out during the campaign. Bureaus and departments also stepped up cleaning efforts in areas under their purview. Having reviewed the merits of the exercise, the Secretary for Food and Health decided to establish a platform to exchange views regularly with the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committees of the District Councils. Through the platform, the bureau hopes to better engage the District Councils in keeping track of the latest environmental hygiene issues and identifying key areas that require priority attention, thereby allowing the government to review and adjust strategies in a manner that is more timely and reflective of district priorities.

Abatement of Sanitary Nuisances

In 2015, the FEHD issued 6,107 Nuisance Notices requiring those responsible to stop sanitary nuisances such as refuse accumulation, dripping air conditioners and water seepage in private premises, and instituted 72 prosecutions against those who failed to comply with the notices.

Pest Control

Preventing the spread of pest-borne diseases is one of the FEHD's prime tasks. The department reviews constantly the methodology and strategy for controlling the spread of pests.

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