The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, today (March 5) officiated at the opening ceremony of the Kwai Tsing Community Green Station (CGS), marking the launch of full services at the Kwai Tsing CGS to encourage members of the public to practise waste reduction and clean recycling, and to foster a green community.

     Officiating at today's opening ceremony, Mr Wong said that the Government is adopting a multi-pronged approach including introducing municipal solid waste (MSW) charging and progressively implementing various Producer Responsibility Schemes, with a view to promoting waste reduction at source and clean recycling, as well as reducing the overall waste disposal level and promoting a circular economy. To strengthen public education and recycling support for waste reduction and recycling, the Government is expanding the CGS network across the territory to enhance the support for waste reduction and recycling and environmental education at the community level.

     Following an open tender by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (New Life) was awarded a three-year service contract to operate the Kwai Tsing CGS in June last year. Mr Wong noted that New Life has long-term community service experience in Kwai Tsing, where it has provided mental health and vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities since 1981. Mr Wong said he is confident that New Life will be able to develop an extensive service network and provide recycling support and environmental education programmes to promote the message of "use less, waste less" at the community level, which will help facilitate the implementation of MSW charging in due course.

     Located at 12 Tam Kon Shan Road in Tsing Yi, the Kwai Tsing CGS is open to the public from 8am to 8pm on a daily basis, except for specified closed days. The Kwai Tsing CGS already provides a collection service for recyclables for housing estates and organisations taking part in its recycling programmes in the district. The recyclables, including waste paper, waste plastics, waste metal, electrical appliances, glass containers, compact fluorescent lamps and tubes, and rechargeable batteries, are collected in community regularly and sent to suitable recyclers for treatment and turned into resources. In addition, it will hold environmental education programmes at various locations in the district and organise large-scale green events from time to time to facilitate the exchange of reusable resources like used clothing, books and other reusable items and encourage waste reduction at source.

     Together with the Kwai Tsing CGS, there are seven CGS projects in operation. All these projects are operating smoothly and making good progress in providing support for waste reduction and recycling in the community. As at the end of 2018, the CGSs have cumulatively collected over 4 200 tonnes of recyclables, received more than 790 000 visitors and organised over 4 000 environmental education events.

     In addition, an open tendering exercise for two service contracts of the Tai Po CGS and the Islands CGS is in progress and the contracts are expected to be awarded in the first half of 2019. 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 can also learn more about CGS events through the dedicated Facebook pages of the individual CGSs.

Ends/Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Issued at HKT 16:56

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