******************************************************
To encourage public discussion on the proper management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has organised a debate competition for secondary school students.
The debate competition began today (April 12) with the participation of debate teams from four secondary schools. They will debate topical issues surrounding the producer responsibility scheme (PRS) for WEEE, such as the proper treatment of WEEE and the sharing of relevant responsibilities among different stakeholders.
Officiating at the launch of the competition today, the Acting Secretary for the Environment, Dr Kitty Poon, said, "Hong Kong is facing an imminent waste problem. WEEE contains hazardous components that are harmful to the environment and human health if not properly treated or disposed of, and therefore must be handled with care.
"I hope that the competition can offer exciting debate sessions among the four schools and more importantly participating students and members of the public will better understand the PRS for WEEE," Dr Poon added.
The Government issued a consultation document on January 18 to solicit the public's views on introducing a mandatory PRS for the proper management of WEEE. The consultation will last until April 30. The document proposes that the PRS for WEEE should cover television sets, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines and computer products.
The competition comprises two preliminary sessions and a final. The first session was held at 5pm today in Causeway Bay Community Centre where Wa Ying College and The Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad College debated "The trades should undertake a greater share of responsibility than consumers should". The second session will be held at 1pm on Thursday (April 15) in the Duke of Windsor Social Service Building where Diocesan Boys' School and Heep Yunn School will debate "Cost recovery under the 'polluter-pays' principle is a tax in disguise". Winners of the preliminary sessions will enter the final, which will be held at the Discovery Park Shopping Centre in Tsuen Wan at 1.30pm on April 24. The motion is "Locally generated WEEE must be treated locally".
Ends/Monday, April 12, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:30
NNNN
