Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):
Question:
There are views that roadside skips unlawfully occupying public roads not only affects the safety of road users, but also poses environmental hygiene problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the information on the enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong Police Force and the Lands Department against roadside skips in the past five years, including the number of complaints or referrals received, the number of statutory notices posted or warnings issued to operators, as well as the number of skips removed; among them, the number of cases in which prosecutions were instituted and the number of convicted cases, as well as the relevant penalties imposed;
(2) of the current utilisation situations of the four sites made available for use by the trade for storing skips; as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by this Council in May 2023 that the skip storage site in Tseung Kwan O Area 137 would become part of the new community, and that the Government would make arrangements in due course, of the progress of the relevant arrangements, including whether alternative sites will be identified for the operation of the skips trade; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as there are views that the regulation of roadside skips involves a number of government departments, whether the Government will consider assigning a designated department to take full responsibility so as to improve enforcement efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Construction waste is generated from construction sites, buildings under maintenance and shops under renovation, which is then transported to landfills or public fill banks for handling. Before skips emerged in the market, most construction waste from construction and renovation sites were piled up at roadside before it was collected for delivery. This not only affected the environmental hygiene, but also caused nuisance to residents and pedestrians, and even affected the road safety. Skips could store relatively large quantity of waste, in particular, construction waste. Using skips can avoid waste being placed everywhere and help maintain a clean and hygienic environment and road safety. It also helps the construction and renovation industry handle construction waste in a neat and orderly way.
Skips are primarily placed at site of use, such as construction sites, renovation sites, shopping malls, housing estates and designated locations nearby, to collect construction waste generated by construction or renovation works in the buildings nearby. Skips that are not being used need to be stored. According to the result of a questionnaire survey with the trade, there are about 1 500 roadside skips in Hong Kong. Among these, about half of them need to be stored while there is only storage space for 330 skips on four pieces of land provided. Under such a circumstance, some skip operators may place the skips at roadside or other improper locations.
Management of skips involves various bureaux and departments. Through the Joint Working Group on Management of Roadside Skips (Working Group), the Government coordinates the work on enhancing management of roadside skips among the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Environmental Protection Department, the Lands Department (LandsD), the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and the Home Affairs Department. Since skips placed on at roadside is also a problem of district concern, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration also looks into this problem with the bureaux and departments concerned through inter-departmental meetings.
In response to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung, in consultation with the HKPF and the LandsD, a consolidated reply is as follows:
(1) Currently, the HKPF handles complaints involving roadside skips in accordance with the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228). Over the past five years, the HKPF has received a total of 5 913 complaints about skips. Police officers will, in light of the circumstances at the scene, make assessments and issue advice and/or warnings to the skip operators concerned if found. In most cases, the operators would remove the skips on their own within hours after receiving the advice and/or warning, with five cases requiring the HKPF to engage contractors to remove the skips. A total of 18 cases were prosecuted under police summons and were convicted. The convicted persons were fined between $300 and $9,000 by the court.
Over the past five years, the LandsD has received a total of 3 674 complaints concerning skips. Among these complaints, 3 per cent were referred by other departments (including the HKPF), and the other 97 per cent were lodged by the public. Within two working days upon receiving a complaint or referral, the LandsD will conduct an on-site inspection and post a notice according to Section 6 of the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) requiring the person concerned to remove the skip and to stop occupying the government land before the specified deadline no less than one clear day, otherwise it will be removed by the LandsD’s contractor. Over the past five years, the LandsD has removed a total of 27 skips, with the remaining removed by relevant persons on their own before the deadlines.
(2) As mentioned above, there are about 1 500 skips in Hong Kong. Considering factors such as job rotations, the trade estimates that about 600 to 700 idling skips would require space for storage each day. At present, the Government has provided four sites to the trade for storage of idling skips through short-term tenancy mechanism. These sites are located at Pak Shing Kok, an area next to the Tseung Kwan O Area 137 (TKO 137) Fill Bank, Siu Lang Shui in Tuen Mun, and adjacent to Tsing Nam Street in Tsing Yi respectively, altogether providing storage space for a total of 330 skips. The site at Pak Shing Kok can store about 110 skips; the site next to the TKO 137 Fill Bank can store about 120 skips; the site at Siu Lang Shui in Tuen Mun can store about 80 skips; and the site at Tsing Nam Street in Tsing Yi can store about 20 skips.
To tie in with the future residential development of TKO 137, according to the current development timetable, the site leased to the trade under short-term tenancy for storing skips is expected to be returned in the second quarter of 2026 the earliest. Meanwhile, the Government has completed the open tendering process for a site at Tsing Chau Wan on Lantau Island, which is initially expected to accommodate approximately 100 skips and to be awarded within this year. To further improve the situation that some skip operators placed their skips at roadside or other improper locations, the Working Group also strives to find more suitable sites for skip storage by the trade through short-term tenancy tenders.
(3) The management of roadside skips involves works of different departments and various pieces of legislation. Hence, the Government has its reason and need to coordinate relevant departments’ work through the Working Group. The Government is adopting a multipronged approach and looking for more effective ways to improve the problem of improper placement of skips. At the current stage, the Government focuses on enhancing enforcement on illegally placed skips that pose safety risk to road users.
Thank you, President.
MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –