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With the approach of the Year of the Dog, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will tomorrow (January 6) begin a three-week major clean-up campaign.
"It is our tradition to have a clean-up before the Lunar New Year. So it is time for everyone to act now.
"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," 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. Common parts of those old tenement buildings will be inspected.
"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 'zero-tolerance' 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.
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"Stallholders will be encouraged to clean their stalls and 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 private housing estates, cargo and passenger termini, 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 Dog," the spokesman said.
Ends/Thursday, January 5, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:23
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