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The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, visited an exhibition on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) held by the Environment Protection Department (EPD) at Olympian City this afternoon (April 18).
"The Government is seeking public views on introducing a mandatory producer responsibility scheme for the proper management of WEEE. I believe that the exhibition can help enhance the public??s understanding of the problems arising from WEEE," Mr Yau said.
Hong Kong generates around 70,000 tonnes of WEEE each year and the volume has been increasing at a rate of 2% annually in recent years. WEEE contains hazardous substances that are harmful to the environment and human health if not properly treated or disposed of, therefore they must be handled with care.
Mr Yau said the Government issued a consultation document on January 18 to solicit public views on introducing a mandatory producer responsibility scheme (PRS) for the proper management of WEEE. The consultation will last until April 30.
"The PRS requires different stakeholders to share the responsibility for protecting the environment and the WEEE issue is closely related to the public at large. I hope the public can seize the chance to express their views during the consultation period," Mr Yau said.
The exhibition is now held at Olympic City 1 from noon to 8pm. After that, the exhibition will be moved to the following locations:
Date Time Venue
April 23-24 noon to 8pm Zone D, Ma On Shan Plaza
April 26-30 noon to 8pm Covered Piazza, Times Square
The EPD will distribute leaflets on site that outline the WEEE scheme now under consultation. The consultation document can also be downloaded from the EPD's website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/weee). Views and comments can be submitted by post (EPD's Waste Management Policy Group, Room 4522, 45/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Hong Kong), email (weee@epd.gov.hk) or fax (23181877), or through the Internet (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/weee) by April 30.
Ends/Sunday, April 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:07
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