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Following is a question by the Hon Fred Li and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow (in the absence of the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works), at the Legislative Council meeting today (November 8) :
Question:
Regarding cremation service for pets, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the existing number of companies in Hong Kong which provide pet cremation service;
(b) of the total number of complaints received by the authorities over the past three years about environmental problems caused by pet cremators installed in multi-storey industrial/commercial buildings, the details of these complaints and how the authorities handled such complaints; and
(c) whether it will consider setting up a licensing system to regulate pet cremation service and including, in the licensing conditions, permitted operating hours of pet cremators and the requirement that such cremators be located at places far away from residential areas, etc?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Based on the complaints handled by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), it is estimated that there are at present 6 pet cremation service companies in Hong Kong. The pet cremators of 3 of them are located in multi-storey industrial/commercial buildings, while the rest are located in rural areas;
(b) Between November 2003 and October 2006, the EPD received a total of 38 complaints about the smoke and odour emitted from pet cremators, most of which were repeated complaints against individual pet cremation service companies located in multi-storey industrial/commercial buildings. The EPD will carry out site investigations upon receipt of complaints. If it is confirmed that the cremation process causes air pollution, the EPD will issue a statutory notice, requiring the company to take measures to reduce the emission of air pollutants. During the above period, the EPD issued notices to 4 pet cremation service companies. Subsequently, these companies took various measures to abate the emission of air pollutants; and
(c) The possible impact of pet cremation service on the environment is air pollution. Under the existing Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the operation of a cremator (including a pet cremator) of a burning capacity exceeding 0.5 tonne per hour is a "specified process". The owner of the cremator has to apply for and obtain a "specified process" licence from the EPD before he is allowed to operate the cremator. If the emission from a pet cremator causes air pollution to the neighbourhood, the EPD can, upon verification through investigations, issue a statutory notice to its owner under the Ordinance to require him to abate the emission of air pollutants. Any person who does not comply with the notices commits an offence. Therefore, we consider the existing legislation adequate for controlling the air pollution problem caused by cremators. We have no plan to set up a licensing system to regulate the operation of pet cremators.
Ends/Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:03
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