â€‹The owner of Era Auto Service Company on Ka Shin Street in Tai Kok Tsui illegally handled spent lubricating oil and was fined $19,500 by Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 6) for contravening the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation.

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) conducted a blitz operation in May this year and detected that Era Auto Service Company arbitrarily placed spent lubricating oil inside the garage after carrying out oil changing service for its customers. The spent lubricating oil, which is classified as chemical waste, was not labelled or stored in a proper leakproof device as stipulated by the law. Upon investigation, the EPD also confirmed that the owner of the repair garage did not register with the department as a chemical waste producer. After evidence gathering, the EPD initiated prosecution against the owner concerned for contravening the Regulation.
      
     An EPD spokesman explained that spent lubricating oil generated from repair garages is classified as chemical waste and contains various toxic chemicals. Improper handling of such waste will cause the spent lubricating oil to leak into nearby drains and soil, which pollutes the environment and causes harm to public health.
      
     The spokesman reminded all repair garage operators and workers engaged in the vehicle repair business that they should register as chemical waste producers with the EPD in accordance with the above Regulation. Chemical waste must be properly packaged, labelled and stored, and has to be collected by licensed chemical waste collectors for delivery to licensed chemical waste disposal facilities for treatment. In addition, for replacement of lubricating oil or batteries, vehicle owners should engage the services of vehicle repair garages or companies that have registered with the EPD.

     Under the Regulation, first-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.

     Members of the public may visit the EPD's website for more information about the control of chemical waste: www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/guide_ref/guide_cwc.html.

     Beauty Land, ​a cosmetics store at Shantung Street in Mong Kok, caused noise nuisance to nearby residents by playing songs continuously at night. It was fined $9,000 by Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 6) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO).
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     An Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said that the department received a complaint from a resident living near Shantung Street in Mong Kok early this year about the cosmetics store concerned persistently playing songs until night, which affected the daily lives of the nearby residents. EPD enforcement officers conducted investigation and assessment and confirmed that the staff of the cosmetics store played songs inside the premises using loudspeakers, which caused noise annoyance to nearby residents. A noise abatement notice was therefore issued to request improvement. EPD enforcement officers then made a follow-up investigation in June and found that the store was still playing songs after 11pm. The sound could be clearly heard inside a flat nearby, which adversely affected the daily lives of the residents. The department then initiated prosecution against the responsible person of the store concerned.
      
     The spokesman reminded all retail shop operators that when they play music or songs inside the shop premises, they should keep the noise down and should not cause annoyance to nearby residents. Otherwise, it constitutes an offence. 
      
     According to the NCO, anyone who violates the requirements of a noise abatement notice commits an offence. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000. A maximum fine of $200,000 may be imposed on second or subsequent conviction.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (December 6) removed a refrigerating appliance from the record of listed models under the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance as it failed to reach the energy efficiency and performance characteristics submitted to the EMSD. Supply of the refrigerating appliance concerned is no longer allowed in Hong Kong with immediate effect. Details of the refrigerating appliance are as follows:
 
Brand: Panasonic
Model: SCR-S66(EX)-BF
Reference number: U1-R170041
 
     The EMSD administers the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme in accordance with the Ordinance and selects samples of listed models regularly for conducting compliance monitoring tests to check whether they conform with the energy efficiency and performance characteristics submitted to the EMSD. As the test result of the refrigerating appliance concerned showed that the storage temperature of the freezer compartment did not reach the performance characteristics submitted, the EMSD has decided to remove the refrigerating appliance from the record of listed models.
 
     The EMSD has served a notice under the Ordinance to the importer concerned (Shun Hing Technology Co Ltd). The importer has published a newspaper notice today announcing the termination of supply of the refrigerating appliance concerned.
 
     Members of the public can contact the importer at 2313 0666 or email shtec@panasonic.oa.hk for enquiries.

     The Hong Kong Observatory Calendar 2019 will go on sale tomorrow (December 7).
 
     The photos in the calendar echo the 2019 World Meteorological Day theme of "The Sun, the Earth and the Weather". The cover photo, "Sunshine Bridge", which was taken by a Hong Kong photographer, was also used in the 2019 Calendar of the World Meteorological Organization. The other photos in the calendar are winning entries from the "Cloud-sourcing: In Touch with Weather from Land, Sea and Air" Photo and Video Collection Campaign and the second "Sky of Silver Age" Photo Competition organised earlier, while the photo for September is a satellite picture showing the moment of Super Typhoon Mangkhut reaching its maximum intensity in 2018.    
 
     Each calendar photo has a quick response code for readers to access to information about the photo. The calendar also contains useful climate and astronomical information, including monthly climatological data and special climatological events, the times for the rising and setting of the sun and the moon, dates of eclipses of the sun and the moon, as well as tidal information.
 
     At $50 a copy, the calendar is an ideal Christmas and New Year gift for friends and relatives. It is on sale at the Hong Kong Observatory's Resource Centre, the Publications Sales Unit of the Information Services Department and the Kowloon Map Publications Centre of the Lands Department. The calendar is also available through the online Government Bookstore at www.bookstore.gov.hk.

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that occurred at the junction of Sha Tau Kok Road – Wo Hang with Wo Keng Shan Road this morning (December 6), in which a worker died.
 
     The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.