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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will hold four briefing sessions in June at various locations in the territory to update the public on the latest developments on municipal solid waste (MSW) charging.
An EPD spokesperson said today (May 28), "In order for MSW charging to successfully achieve the objectives of waste reduction, we must continue to step up public education and community involvement programmes to enhance public awareness and understanding of related issues, including how to avoid generation of waste, the polluter-pays principle, and how to support clean recycling for the purpose of minimising waste disposal. Through the briefing sessions, we aim to reach out to the wider community and relevant stakeholders and update them on the latest developments of our preparatory work."
The target audience of the briefing sessions is stakeholders responsible for residential property management. They may include members of the management committees and representatives of property management companies. Individual residents, local community representatives and other stakeholders are also welcome to attend. At the briefing sessions, EPD staff will introduce the recommendations of the Council for Sustainable Development on the implementation of MSW charging that were drawn up through a public engagement process and cover various aspects including the charging mechanism, strengthening of recycling support and other supporting measures. They will also explain the progress of the preparatory work. Guest speakers who are familiar with the issues will also be invited to share their views.
The briefings will be conducted in Cantonese. Reservations can be made via email at wastecharging@epd.gov.hk or by telephone at 2594 6567. Details of the briefing sessions are as follows:
Briefing Session 1
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Date: June 6 (Saturday)
Time: 10am to 11.30am
Venue: Lecture Theatre, Hong Kong Central Library,
66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Briefing Session 2
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Date: June 13 (Saturday)
Time: 11.30am to 1pm
Venue: Wo Hing Community Hall,
G/F, 7 Wo Ming Lane, Fanling, New Territories
Briefing Session 3
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Date: June 18 (Thursday)
Time: 8pm to 9.30pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre, 4/F, West Block,
Education Bureau Kowloon Tong
Education Services Centre,
19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
Briefing Session 4
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Date: June 26 (Friday)
Time: 8pm to 9.30pm
Venue: Auditorium, Christian Family Service Centre,
3 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon
Apart from organising the four briefing sessions, the EPD is preparing for the establishment of a platform for stakeholders to be engaged in the development of MSW charging on an ongoing basis. With the completion of the two pilot schemes (for residential buildings with property management and rural villages), the EPD is going to introduce new phases of pilot schemes and the details will be announced later.
At this stage, an inter-departmental working group has been convened by the EPD and comprises representatives of the EPD, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Housing Department and the Home Affairs Department to steer and co-ordinate the preparatory work, while representatives from other relevant departments may also be co-opted when necessary. In addition to stepping up public education and community involvement programmes, other key areas of the preparatory work include (i) formulating effective implementation plans for the charging mechanism at the various types of MSW reception points, (ii) developing relevant complementary systems, and (iii) drafting the enabling legislation to provide the legal basis for implementation of the MSW charging system.
Ends/Thursday, May 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:33
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