Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ14: Refuse collection vehicles
Following is a question by the Hon Kam Nai-wai and a written
reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the
Legislative Council today (May 25):
Question:
Regarding the refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) in Hong Kong,
will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of private and government-operated
RCVs in Hong Kong in each of the past five years, together with a
breakdown by the emission standards met by RCVs and by whether those
vehicles are covered; whether the Government has any plan to replace
its uncovered RCVs with covered ones; if it has such a plan, of the
details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) at present, whether and how private and government-operated RCVs
are required to be kept clean and hygienic, and to reduce dripping
of foul water and emission of odour; if it is so required, of the
measures concerned and the penalties, and whether penalties had been
imposed on organisations and people who breached the requirements in
the past five years; if so, of the details; and
(c) whether prosecutions had been instituted in the past five years
against RCVs dripping foul water, emitting odour and causing adverse
impact on the environment; if so, of the number of prosecutions
instituted in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown
by grounds of prosecution?
Reply:
President,
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has
formulated guidelines and contract provisions to ensure respectively
that the Department's refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) and those of
its contractors are kept in a clean and hygienic condition. In
monitoring the services rendered by its contractors, FEHD will take
punitive actions against the contractors in accordance with the
relevant contract provisions, if any breach of contract provisions
is found. My reply to the three parts of the question is as
follows:
(a) The numbers of RCVs of FEHD and its contractors in each of the
last five years are set out below:
Year No. of RCVs of FEHD No. of RCVs of
FEHD's Contractors
2006 182
108
2007 167
117
2008 160
117
2009 149
122
2010 153
125
FEHD's RCVs have a general service life of eight to ten
years. All these RCVs comply with the statutory requirements at the
time of purchase, including using diesel engines which meet the Euro
emission standards. Besides, in order to prevent the emission of
odour, all the RCVs of FEHD are either fitted with a packer plate to
cover the rear refuse hopper (33 vehicles) or are of an enclosed
type design (120 vehicles). All the RCVs fitted with packer plate
will be replaced with those of an enclosed type design in or before
2013.
As for the RCVs of FEHD's contractors, it is provided in the
refuse collection service contracts commencing after November 2008
that they must be fitted with petrol or diesel engines which meet
the Euro emission standards as stipulated in the contracts. So far,
58 RCVs have been fitted with such engines and the rest will be
fitted with the same in the coming two years. Also, all RCVs of
contractors must be fitted with tailgate cover to prevent the
emission of odour. To further improve the situation, contractors
are required to use RCVs of an enclosed type design as provided in
the refuse collection service contracts commencing after May
2011. Currently, 30 RCVs of its contractors are of the enclosed
type design and the other vehicles will be replaced by those of the
same design upon the renewal of contracts.
(b) To keep the RCVs clean and maintain environmental hygiene, FEHD
has installed sump tanks in all RCVs to trap leachate. Besides,
among the 153 RCVs, 130 have been installed with deodourising
systems in the loading compartments, and installation to the rest of
RCVs will be carried out by 2012 to further prevent odour emission.
It is also stipulated in FEHD's refuse collection service
contracts that the contractors' RCVs must be installed with sump
tanks at the bottom of the vehicles and that the contractors have to
take all necessary preventive measures against dripping of leachate
during refuse loading, unloading and transportation.
After the refuse is unloaded at refuse transfer stations or
landfills, RCVs of FEHD and its contractors will have their sump
tanks emptied and their vehicle bodies and/or wheels washed with the
vehicle washing system at the site before departure. These RCVs
have to undergo the washing process again after the daily collection
work is finished or when they return to depot.
FEHD reminds its staff from time to time that RCVs must be kept
in a clean and hygienic condition, and washed properly every day in
accordance with the relevant guidelines. As for the contractors, if
any breach of contract provisions on requirements for and operation
of RCVs is found, FEHD will take punitive actions accordingly,
including the issue of verbal warnings, written warnings and default
notices. The monthly amount payable to the contractors who have
received default notices will be deducted in the light of the
breaches. The numbers of verbal warnings, written warnings and
default notices issued by FEHD for the contractors' breaches of
contract provisions on requirements for and operation of RCVs (i.e.
leachate dripping from RCVs and filthy RCVs) in the last five years
are as follows:
Year No. of Verbal No. of Written
No. of Default
Warnings
Warnings Notices
2006 10
7 6
2007 10
3 0
2008 10
2 2
2009 9
1 2
2010 9
8 2
(c) Over the past five years, the numbers of prosecutions instituted
by FEHD concerning RCVs dripping leachate or dropping waste are as
follows:
Year No. of Prosecutions No. of Prosecutions
Concerning Dripping Concerning Dropping
of Leachate
of Waste
2006 0 0
2007 4 3
2008 0 2
2009 0 0
2010 3 1
The existing legislation does not empower FEHD officers to take
enforcement action in cases involving RCVs emitting odour.
Ends/Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:57
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