The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, and the Chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), Mr Lam Chiu-ying, today (February 10) visited the Green Lunar New Year (LNY) Fair at Kwun Tong Recreation Ground with members of the ECC and its Publicity Working Group. They called on stall operators and members of the public to cherish resources and go green for festive celebrations to reduce waste.

     The Kwun Tong Green LNY Fair is being jointly held by the ECC, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and ecobus. A recyclables collection station has been set up to collect unsold goods and leftover materials from the stall operators for on-site redistribution or donation to charities after the LNY fair. Waste materials generated by fair stalls including canvas, marquees, tables, chairs, shelves, decorative materials, sand bags, wooden boards and bamboo sticks will also be properly sorted for recycling, reuse or donation. A number of stall operators have already pledged their support for the implementation of green initiatives by committing to practise waste reduction at source, clean recycling and resources sharing.

     In addition, Green Ambassadors have been stationed at the LNY fair to promote green tips for festive celebrations, including advising on the use of the "six must-haves" (namely a water bottle, a food container, reusable cutlery, a handkerchief, a shopping bag and green festive decorations) to reduce waste at source. Shopping bag sharing stands were also set up for visitors to donate or pick up reusable shopping bags to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags.

     Apart from promoting the Green LNY Fair in Kwun Tong, the ECC and the EPD have also collaborated with the Conservancy Association, Green Sense and the Environmental Science Programme of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to hold Green LNY Fairs in Cheung Sha Wan, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long respectively to raise environmental awareness among stall operators and the general public, as well as to encourage them to follow the principle of "use less, waste less".

     Separately, the ECC and the EPD have joined forces with SEE Network to hold green workshops and provide advisory services under the Green Entrepreneurship Programme to encourage young entrepreneurs, especially secondary and tertiary students, to incorporate green elements into their business operations for LNY fairs. After the LNY fairs, the ECC and the EPD, together with the non-profit green organisations Green Come True and JupYeah, will conduct the Reuse and Upcycling Programme for Bamboo to collect used bamboo sticks for reuse and upcycling at various activities and workshops.
 
     Mr Wong said that large quantities of waste are usually generated during festive occasions. He called on event organisers, shop owners and members of the public to cherish limited resources on earth and bear in mind the "3R" concept of reducing, reusing and recycling in the celebration of festivals.

     Mr Wong said that the EPD, in addition to holding Green LNY Fairs with the ECC, has also arranged for contractors to collect wooden pallets, bamboo sticks, unsold peach blossom trees and other leftover materials with reusable value from some LNY fairs for recycling, storage or donation to charities. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has also set up recycling corners in the LNY fairs to collect recyclables including waste paper, plastic materials and metal for recycling. Green Ambassadors are also deployed on-site to promote green messages to the public and assist visitors to properly dispose of recyclables at recycling bins. He also urged the public to practise clean recycling to facilitate the reuse and recycling of resources.

     Mr Lam said that the resources sharing platforms and collection network established by the Green LNY Fairs allow the community to make full use of the available resources. He encouraged the public to practise waste reduction at source by avoiding the use of disposable items while visiting LNY fairs. He expressed the hope that this programme could inspire other event organisers to incorporate more green elements or initiatives in their events to further promote waste reduction.

Ends/Saturday, February 10, 2018
Issued at HKT 15:52

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