Company and drivers convicted of dumping waste on government and private land

Press Release 

Company and drivers convicted of dumping waste on government and private land

A transportation company and two dump truck drivers were fined $10,000 each at a Fanling Magistracy Court hearing today (September 19) after being convicted of dumping waste materials on government land and adjoining private land in Shing Mun Road, near Shing Mun Reservior, earlier this year.

A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department welcomed the court verdict, saying that it should have a deterrent effect on illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in rural areas.

The parties concerned were involved in a complaint lodged with the EPD in late February this year that unauthorised deposition of C&D materials was found at Shing Mun Road, near Shing Mun Reservior.

Under the Waste Disposal Ordinance, any person who deposits waste in any place without lawful authority or permission of the owner is committing an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment for the first offence.

The spokesman urged companies and drivers transporting C&D materials to comply with the law and not to dump waste illegally for their own convenience.

"We are now formulating guidelines for the concerned trades, including the construction and transportation sectors, to remind them of their responsibility and the requirements of the regulating legislations concerned,"he said.

"The EPD in collaboration with other Government departments is developing a database on C&D material cases which will contain basic information such as site locations, sizes and land uses. It will facilitate close co-operation by the concerned Government departments to take effective and co-ordinated actions," he added.