The Yuen Long Community Green Station (CGS) was officially opened today (March 6), extending the CGS network to New Territories West to encourage the public to practise waste reduction and clean recycling, and to build a green community together.

     Officiating at today's opening ceremony, the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, said that the Yuen Long CGS is the fourth CGS project commissioned after the opening of the Sha Tin CGS, the Eastern CGS and the Kwun Tong CGS. The smooth implementation of the CGS projects strengthens the Government's support for waste reduction and recycling at the district level and will also help facilitate the upcoming implementation of quantity-based municipal solid waste charging.

     Following an open tender by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Hong Chi Association (HCA) was awarded a three-year service contract for operating the Yuen Long CGS in October last year. Mr Wong said that the HCA has 50 years of experience in providing community services in various districts across the territory. The HCA is also a long-term partner of the EPD in recycling. Funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the HCA launched a community glass containers recycling programme in April 2010, which has achieved remarkable results with 4 600 tonnes of glass containers recycled to date. He is confident that the HCA has the ability and experience to provide recycling support and promote environmental education for the Yuen Long community.

     Located at 65 Tin Wah Road in Tin Shui Wai, the Yuen Long CGS is open to the public from 8am to 8pm on a daily basis, except for specified closed days. Before the official opening, the Yuen Long CGS had already been actively holding environmental education programmes at various locations in the district to promote the messages of waste reduction at source and waste recycling. Moreover, the CGS also provided support for the Chinese New Year Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Collection programme and the collection of reusable materials recovered from Lunar New Year fairs. Following the official opening, the CGS will regularly collect recyclables from the community, including electrical appliances, glass containers, compact fluorescent lamps and tubes and rechargeable batteries, as well as a small amount of waste paper, waste plastic and waste metal. The CGS will also progressively step up support for the clean recycling of plastic bottles to meet increasing community demand. In addition, it will hold large-scale green events from time to time, such as bi-monthly swap events for the exchange of reusable resources like used clothing, books and other reusable items to encourage waste reduction at source.

     Separately, the Sha Tin CGS and the Eastern CGS have been achieving good progress. In the last quarter, the two CGSs each collected 80 tonnes of recyclables, equivalent to an annualised throughput of about 320 tonnes. Operated by non-profit making organisations, the EPD believes that the two CGSs, together with the Kwun Tong CGS which opened on February 21, can collaborate with one another to maximise the effectiveness of the CGS network and enable the concept of green living to take root at the community level.

     The EPD earlier awarded the service contract for the Sham Shui Po CGS, which will commence operation in mid-2017. Information on the latest progress of the CGS projects is available on the EPD website at www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/community/cgs_intro.htm. Members of the public could also learn more about the green events organised by the CGSs and their effectiveness through the dedicated Facebook pages of the CGSs.

Ends/Monday, March 6, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:42

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