Go to main content
 
Non-registered contractor and house owner convicted for illegal removal of asbestos roofs
*****************************************************************************************
     A non-registered contractor who removed the asbestos roof of an unauthorised building structure in Tsuen Wan and stored the asbestos waste illegally was convicted by Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (September 19) for contravening the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) and the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation. In addition, a village house owner who illegally removed the asbestos roof of his house in Yuen Long was also convicted by Fanling Magistrates' Courts on September 12 for contravening the APCO. The two offenders were fined a total of $35,000.

     An Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said that a complaint was received in mid-February this year that the asbestos roof of an unauthorised building structure at a platform of a residential building in Tsuen Wan was being removed illegally. EPD staff carried out a site inspection immediately and found that the unauthorised building structure was being demolished. Debris of asbestos cement sheets and bagged asbestos waste were found all over the premises. Separately, the department received another complaint in early May this year that the asbestos roof of a village house at Tai Kei Leng in Yuen Long was illegally removed. EPD staff found upon investigation that the asbestos roof was removed by the house owner himself.

     The spokesman said that the asbestos removal works in both cases were not carried out in accordance with the requirements as stipulated by the APCO, as no registered asbestos contractor was hired to conduct the removal works and the EPD had not been notified prior to the commencement of such works. After evidence collection, the EPD issued statutory notices to the involved contractor and the village house owner to require them to properly handle the asbestos waste in accordance with the statutory requirements and the code of practice on asbestos control. The EPD subsequently prosecuted them in accordance with the APCO. As the dismantled asbestos cement sheets are classified as chemical waste and the involved contractor did not properly pack and store the asbestos waste, the EPD also prosecuted the contractor for contravening the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation.

     The spokesman explained that, to prevent the release of asbestos fibres that might affect the health of workers and members of the public, asbestos abatement work must be carried out by a registered asbestos contractor in accordance with the statutory requirements and the code of practice on asbestos control. The dismantled asbestos should be properly packed, labelled and stored with the display of a warning sign according to the law. Such waste must also be delivered by licensed chemical waste collectors for proper disposal. Failure to do so is an offence and the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.
 
Ends/Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:33
NNNN
Today's Press Releases