*******************************************
With the approach of the Year of the Pig, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will tomorrow (January 26) begin a three-week major clean-up campaign across the territory.
"It is our tradition to have a clean-up before the Lunar New Year. So it is time for everyone to act now," an FEHD spokesman said.
During the campaign period, the department will thoroughly clean streets, public toilets/bathhouses, public places and hygiene blackspots such as back lanes. Besides, common parts of old tenement buildings will be inspected.
"We will extend the opening hours of refuse collection points where necessary and provide temporary junk collection points for people to dispose of large pieces of household waste.
"We will issue statutory notices to require residents/owners to remove accumulated refuse or to abate other environmental nuisances if the situation warrants.
"To ensure cleanliness of public places, we will strengthen enforcement actions and adopt a stringent approach to offences under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance, including littering, spitting, illegal bill posting and dog fouling," the spokesman said.
The operations will also cover public markets, cooked food centres and hawker concentrated areas.
"Stallholders will be encouraged to clean up their stalls. We will carry out stringent enforcement actions against any malpractices," the spokesman said.
The department will continue its intensive mosquito and rodent control measures and carry out special inspections at common parts of tenement buildings, village houses and private housing estates; cargo and passenger terminuses; schools; construction/vacant sites and illegal cultivated sites.
Other than the Government's clean-up efforts, District Councils will organise a series of promotional activities to solicit local community support in the whole exercise.
"We call on the public to join us. It's only through concerted efforts that we can enjoy a cleaner environment in the Year of the Pig," the spokesman said.
Ends/Thursday, January 25, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:03
NNNN
