Territory-wide year-end clean-up campaign launched (with photo)

     With the approach of the Year of the Rat, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (December 31) commenced a three-week year-end clean-up campaign across the territory.
          
     "To tie in with the tradition of cleaning up before the Lunar New Year, the annual year-end clean-up campaign is being conducted from today to January 20 next year to call for public support and efforts to maintain cleanliness in the household, the community and public places to welcome the coming Lunar New Year," an FEHD spokesman said.
          
     During the campaign, the FEHD will step up the cleaning of public facilities under the department's management including public markets, cooked food centres, hawker bazaars, public toilets and refuse collection points. Cleaning of problematic sites of illegal refuse dumping and other public cleanliness offences will also be enhanced in all districts. In addition, the FEHD will conduct mosquito and rodent prevention and control operations targeting places such as old tenement buildings, streets, rear lanes, village houses and construction sites, according to each district’s circumstances. Temporary junk collection points will be set up for residents to discard large items of household waste.
          
     The spokesman also reminded operators of food premises to pay attention to hygiene conditions on their premises and urged holders of hawker stalls to clean up their stalls.
          
     "To ensure the cleanliness of public places, we will strengthen enforcement actions and issue fixed penalty notices to offenders in breach of the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance for littering, spitting, illegal posting of bills or posters, feeding of pigeons or other feral birds causing dirtiness to public places, and dog fouling," the spokesman said.
          
     The spokesman added that maintaining a clean and hygienic community hinges on the co-operation and participation of everyone. He called for the concerted efforts of every member of the public to maintain environmental hygiene and enjoy a clean environment in the Year of the Rat.