​Two drivers who were involved in illegal roadside dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) and commercial and industrial (C&I) waste in Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi were fined a total of $50,000 by Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (August 14) for contravening the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO).
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has all along been committed to combating illegal waste disposal. In Kwai Tsing District, round-the-clock surveillance camera systems have been installed at the district's fly-tipping black spots such as factories, mini-storage facilities and remote areas since 2015 to facilitate evidence collection and enforcement action. In February and March this year, the EPD successfully traced five illegal fly-tipping cases by using the vehicle information captured by the surveillance camera systems at Chun Pin Street in Kwai Chung and Hong Wan Road in Tsing Yi. At the Kwai Chung black spot, a driver was found dumping mud debris and household waste four times in about one week. The EPD subsequently prosecuted the persons involved under the WDO after evidence gathering.
The EPD spokesperson reminded construction workers (including those carrying out minor renovation works) and members of the transportation and logistics sector that C&D waste as well as C&I waste should be delivered to the Government's waste treatment facilities for proper disposal in accordance with legal requirements. It is unethical and unlawful to dispose of waste in public places and on the roadside, as it obstructs pedestrians and could cause traffic accidents. First-time offenders under the WDO are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.
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