A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (January 16) that in order to combat the illegal act of littering from vehicles, the FEHD launched a trial scheme in November last year to pilot the installation of Internet Protocol (IP) cameras on roads with central dividers in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po districts and the use of footage for prosecution against registered vehicle owners or relevant offenders. Due to the promising results of the trial, the FEHD will extend the scheme to suitable roads across the territory to enhance enforcement efficiency.
The spokesman said, "The FEHD has noticed that irresponsible drivers or passengers tend to litter from vehicles, which not only affects environmental hygiene but also poses a danger to other road users. Additionally, it increases the burden on cleansing staff who have to clear the waste from central dividers. Over the past two months, 14 cases of littering, which involved plastic bottles, tissue papers and cigarette boxes, were successfully identified by the IP cameras installed at central dividers of four locations in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po districts. The FEHD will initiate prosecutions against the people involved with the collected footage."
The FEHD will continue to apply technologies to enhance service and enforcement efficiency. Currently, IP cameras have been widely installed at illegal refuse dumping blackspots, utilising artificial intelligence to assist in detecting and collecting evidence for combating illegal refuse dumping activities. The above trial scheme is the first application of IP cameras on central dividers.
The spokesman appealed to road users to keep roads clean. Refuse should be disposed of at appropriate locations after alighting.
Pursuant to the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation (Cap. 132BK), any person who litters from any specified vehicle shall be liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.
Members of the public may report littering from vehicles through the 1823 government hotline or via the electronic or paper-based forms. Such forms can be obtained from the District Environmental Hygiene Offices of the FEHD, the District Offices of the Home Affairs Department, or downloaded from the FEHD's website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/forms/vehlitform.html).
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