HAD opens temporary cold shelters
In view of the cold weather, the Home Affairs Department has opened 18 temporary cold shelters in various districts today (January 9) for people in need of the service. The temporary shelters will remain open when the Cold Weather Warning is in force.
Clean mattresses and blankets/quilts, hot meals and hot water will be provided to shelter users free of charge during the opening of the temporary shelters.
To ensure that cold shelter users can rest in a quiet and undisturbed environment, members of the public or agencies wishing to make donations to shelter users are requested to register with the staff of the shelter first. Donors will then be directed to place the donated items at a specified indoor location. The staff will help notify the shelter users to collect the items on their own.
Anyone seeking temporary refuge, or those with any questions about the donation arrangements at the cold shelters, may call the department's hotline 25728427 for more information.
The 18 temporary cold shelters are located at:
Hong Kong Island:
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Central and Western:
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex,
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
Eastern:
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
Southern:
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau
Wan Chai:
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
Kowloon districts:
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Kowloon City:
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices,
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
Kwun Tong:
Yau Tong Community Hall
38 Ko Chiu Road, Yau Tong
Sham Shui Po:
Nam Cheong District Community Centre
1 Cheong San Lane, Sham Shui Po
Wong Tai Sin:
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
Yau Tsim Mong:
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
New Territories districts:
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Islands:
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
Kwai Tsing:
Tai Wo Hau Estate Community Centre
15 Tai Wo Hau Road, Kwai Chung
North:
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
Sai Kung:
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
Sha Tin:
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
Tai Po:
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
Tsuen Wan:
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
Tuen Mun:
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
Yuen Long:
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
Arrangement for the collection and recycling of waste plastics
The "Pilot Scheme on Collection and Recycling Services of Plastic Recyclable Materials" (Pilot Scheme) of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will conclude on January 18 this year. The EPD announced today (January 9) the latest arrangements on the collection and recycling of waste plastics.
A spokesman for the EPD said: "Since there is duplication of resources with regard to plastics recycling between the Pilot Scheme and the GREEN@COMMUNITY, it is decided to conclude the Pilot Scheme on January 18, and relevant plastics recycling services will be taken over by the GREEN@COMMUNITY recycling network of respective districts."
The spokesman said, "Apart from reducing duplicated work, future GREEN@COMMUNITY operators may pass the collected plastics to any EPD-approved recyclers for handling, rather than merely the three designated recyclers under the Pilot Scheme, allowing for an open competitive market for the recycling industry, reducing the costs of collection and recycling waste plastics."
The Pilot Scheme commenced in the Eastern, Kwun Tong and Sha Tin districts in January 2020, and was extended to the Tai Po, Sai Kung, Central and Western, Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun districts in January 2022. Its work includes complementing with public education, driving people's behavioural change, enhancing public confidence in waste plastics recycling, collecting non-commercial and non-industrial waste plastics in nine districts and collecting waste plastics from three of these districts.
Since end 2020, the Government has gradually expanded the GREEN@COMMUNITY, whose work is to enhance public education on recycling as a whole, drive people's behavioural change, reinforce public confidence in recycling, and start establishing a recycling network across 18 districts to provide recycling services to housing estates for the collection of nine types of recyclables, including waste plastics. There is duplication in various aspects between the work of GREEN@COMMUNITY and the Pilot Scheme.
Under the new arrangements, not only will the plastics collection services for housing estates under the Pilot Scheme remain unaffected, the GREEN@COMMUNITY operators can also liaise with these housing estates for more flexible collection services for plastics, as well as other recyclables, enhancing the cost-effectiveness, with an estimated cost reduction of about 24 per cent as compared with the Pilot Scheme.
Looking forward, the Government will introduce a licensing scheme through the bill on establishing a common legislative framework for producer responsibility schemes to regulate plastic recyclers with regard to the types of waste plastics to be treated, treatment methods, recycling and disposal quantities, environmental impacts etc., to urge the recycling industry to aim for high-quality development as a goal and convert more waste into valuable resources. The relevant bill will be submitted to the Legislative Council for scrutiny in the first half of this year.
Arrangement for the collection and recycling of waste plastics Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Arrangement for the collection and recycling of waste plastics Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
