Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (November 11):
Question:
Regarding the printed copies of government publications, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the weight (in tonnes) of paper used annually for printing the Policy Address and related publications (including the Supplement, Policy Agenda and promotional leaflets) since the beginning of the term of the current Government in July 2017;
(2) of the disposal methods for the undistributed and outdated copies of the Policy Address and related publications; the respective weights and percentages of such publications which have been (i) delivered to landfills and (ii) recovered for recycling, since July 2017; and
(3) whether the Government will reduce the numbers of copies of the Policy Address and related publications as well as other government publications printed for internal distribution by government departments, so as to reduce paper consumption; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(1) Figures on the weight (in tonnes) of paper used annually by the Government Logistics Department (GLD) for printing the Policy Address and related publications for the current term Government from 2017 to 2019 are tabulated below:
| Item | Year | ||
| October 2017 (tonnes) |
October 2018 (tonnes) |
October 2019 (tonnes) |
|
| Policy Address (Chinese and English versions) |
16.1 | 19.5 | 6.4 |
| Policy Address Policy Agenda/ Supplement (Chinese and English versions) | 11.7 | 11.8 | 12.7 |
| Promotional Leaflets of the Policy Address (Bilingual version) | 6 | 6 | 3.1 |
| Total | 33.8 | 37.3 | 22.2 |
As the 2020 Policy Address is still under preparation, the GLD has no relevant information.
(2) According to the records of the relevant departments, all the Policy Address and related publications printed for the current term Government from 2017 to 2019 were basically all distributed to the public.
(3) The Government reviews the distribution of government publications every year and has been encouraging the public to access related information via the Internet, with a view to reducing the printing volume as far as possible. Besides, the Government has established internal guidelines on waste avoidance and reduction, requiring all bureaux/departments to enhance the implementation of green practices and waste avoidance measures. On saving paper, all government departments should commit to reducing waste at source in the first place by making good use of electronic means, for example webpages and emails, to disseminate information, so that unnecessary paper consumption can be reduced and avoided. If printed copies of publications are necessary, recycled paper should be used, and the use of paper coated with wax or plastics should be avoided to facilitate downstream recycling and handling.
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