The spokesman for Hongkong Post announced today (September 13) that the latest dates of posting for surface mail (letters, cards, packets and parcels) intended for delivery before Christmas Day are shown below. While the dates are provisional, they are worked out based on the requirements of overseas postal administrations. These dates are subject to availability of shipping services and may be altered at short notice. The public are advised to post earlier than the dates shown.
 

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department today (September 13) announced that the Mui Wo Temporary Public Fill Reception Facility has been reopened at 8.30am.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department's emergency hotline 2835 1473 has ceased to operate.

     Noting that a green group had released its survey findings on marine refuse yesterday (September 11), the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) made the following response:

     The Government has always attached great importance to the marine refuse problem. In the past few years, strategies and measures on tackling marine refuse have been implemented and the Inter-departmental Working Group has been set up to enhance collaboration with nearby places. The Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel was set up by the two sides in October 2016. A notification and alert system on marine refuse was also launched to reinforce co-operation on the prevention and tackling of the marine refuse problem within the region.

     In the survey conducted together with a beach clean-up activity from mid-July to early September this year, the number of plastic beverage bottles was counted according to brand names marked in traditional Chinese characters, simplified Chinese characters and other languages. The counting result was used to project the proportion of marine refuse that came from the Mainland. As the result only represents the plastic bottles picked up at individual beaches in 10 days during the summer period, with 1,800 bottles collected in total, the sample size is statistically too small for making the projection, considering that around 15,000 tonnes of marine refuse are recovered every year. As such, the survey result does not fully and thoroughly reflect the different types of marine refuse in different seasons and locations.

     The United Nations has released the United Nations Environment Programme / Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNEP/IOC) Guidelines on Survey and Monitoring of Marine Litter in 2009 on the survey of marine refuse. The guideline pointed out that, given the increasing globalisation of product markets, tagging items with the point of manufacture or origin is not likely to provide a practical or functional approach to the management of marine refuse. In Hong Kong, there may be more than one possible source of refuse marked with simplified Chinese characters, and the different proportion of sources of origin of plastic bottles, as a single item, cannot reflect the overall proportion of sources of origin of all kinds of marine refuse.

     In order to enhance shorelines cleanliness, the EPD conducted a Marine Refuse Study (the Study) in 2013 to investigate the sources, distribution and movement of marine refuse, and to support the development of strategies to combat the marine refuse problem. The consultancy, upon making reference to the above-mentioned United Nations guidelines and taking into account the marine refuse problem in Hong Kong and the methods of refuse collection adopted by the relevant government departments, conducted a 12-month on-site survey at various shoreline locations in Hong Kong to collect data based on a scientific method. During the on-site survey, the consultancy identified those refuse with simplified Chinese characters as non-local sources and they accounted for about 5 per cent of all the marine refuse sampled.

     Notwithstanding that, the result was only taken as a supplementary reference – they are not key data or determinants for formulation of measures for combating marine refuse. For those samples that were not marked with Simplified Chinese characters, there had been no objective method to estimate the percentage that was of non-local origins. As mentioned above, the United Nations guidelines have clearly stated that the points of manufacture or origin of tagged items would not provide useful information for the management of marine refuse.

     The Government adopted a three-pronged strategy to address the marine refuse problem in Hong Kong based on the Study results, which includes reducing waste generation at source; preventing refuse from entering the marine environment and removing refuse from the marine environment. The EPD will continue to conduct publicity campaigns and education activities in order to raise public awareness in keeping shorelines clean, encourage the public to make habitual change to reduce waste generation at source and prevent refuse from entering the marine environment.

     On regional co-operation, the Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel was set up in October 2016 to enhance exchange and communication through regular meetings on various regional marine environmental matters. Both sides are responsible for cleaning up marine refuse under their respective jurisdiction and also enhancing collaboration in regional marine environmental issues, including the handling of marine refuse. If it is forecasted that a large amount of refuse may drift into Hong Kong waters from the Mainland, the Department of Environmental Protection of Guangdong Province will inform the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government as soon as practicable under the notification mechanism established under the Special Panel, with a view to enabling relevant departments to deploy resources timely for interception and clean-up work. The EPD has all along been reporting the progress of co-operation between Guangdong and Hong Kong on tackling marine refuse in a timely manner through issuing press releases and posting updates on the Clean Shorelines website.

     The EPD spokesman stressed that regardless of the percentage of non-local items in marine refuse, the HKSAR Government will not take the issue of marine refuse lightly and will continue to enhance collaboration with Mainland in preventing and tackling the refuse problem.

     For more details on the efforts of the Government and other organisations in tackling marine refuse, please visit the EPD's thematic website (https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/clean_shorelines/index-2.html).

     With the approach of Super Typhoon Mangkhut on the weekend, the Government this afternoon (September 12) convened an inter-departmental meeting to review the preparedness and contingency plan for tropical cyclones to ensure that suitable measures and co-ordinations are put in place to minimise the impacts brought by the inclement weather.
 
     The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, chaired the inter-departmental meeting this afternoon to strengthen co-ordination and communication among departments under the Emergency Response System. He also directed all emergency response departments to have their deployment and emergency response plans ready for the possible threats that may be brought to Hong Kong by Super Typhoon Mangkhut.
 
     On the present forecast by the Hong Kong Observatory, Super Typhoon Mangkhut is expected to bring adverse weather to Hong Kong on Sunday (September 16), with frequent squalls and heavy rain. Together with the storm surge, seas will be very rough with swells and low-lying areas may have flooding or backflow of seawater.
 
     Issues on response plans of emergency, monitoring and co-ordination, preventive measures, information flow and public announcement, as well as logistic support were discussed in the meeting. Representatives from relevant bureaux and departments also reported their preparatory work and contingency plans, particularly on measures in the prevention and handling of flooding, backflow of seawater and emergency plans for high-risk locations, in response to the tropical cyclone.
 
     Mr Lee reminded that all departments should take timely precautions and maintain close liaison and co-ordination while the Security Bureau would closely monitor the situation. Depending on the prevailing situation, the Security Bureau may escalate the emergency response level and activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre. He also asked all departments, especially emergency rescue departments and related units, to get prepared for the tropical cyclone.
 
     The Government will convene another inter-departmental meeting on Friday (September 14) to evaluate the latest situation. All departments will also report their preparatory work and operational arrangements under contingency plans.
 
     Today’s meeting was attended by representatives from 30 government bureaux, departments and organisations including Buildings Department, Civil Aid Service, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Drainage Services Department, Education Bureau, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Fire Services Department, Home Affairs Department, Housing Department, Highways Department, Hong Kong Police Force, Hong Kong Observatory, Information Services Department, Transport Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Marine Department, Social Welfare Department and Water Supplies Department.
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory is closely monitoring the movement of Super Typhoon Mangkhut as well as weather conditions, and will issue relevant warning promptly. Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest information on the super typhoon.