Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at a media session after officiating at the 16th Hong Kong Green School Award presentation ceremony this afternoon (September 26):
Reporter: Mr Wong, after the typhoon, our waste handling facilities are under severe strain. Was that a failure to prepare for the aftermath of the typhoon? Secondly, I'm sure you told the schoolchildren about the importance of waste reduction. When can we expect the legislation on that issue coming through the Legislative Council (LegCo)?
Secretary for the Environment: You have two questions. Firstly, we have to understand that it is a super typhoon, that the damage is substantial. While our refuse transfer stations (RTS) have certain spare capacities, but the extra waste, as compared with previous years, is about 30 to 40 per cent more than normal. There is a capacity limit for the RTS. Our colleagues have already made contingency arrangements to divert the yard waste to the Kai Tak temporary storage site to minimise the loading onto our existing RTS. Up to now, based on the latest reports, the RTS operations are almost back to a more acceptable standard. At the same time, we would like to promote to the public and more organisations to make the best use of the temporary-stored yard waste. Some of the wood could be suitable for adaptive reuse or upcycling, while other yard waste could also be used for composting. If they are interested, please contact our colleagues through the hotline so that it (the yard waste) can be for beneficial use.
Your last question is about how to prepare for (municipal) solid waste charging. We have to reduce waste in Hong Kong. Our plan is to submit the bill to the LegCo upon their resumption after the summer recess.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
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