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Foreword
Image
of Director of Environmental Protection
THIS is
the second report that the Environmental Protection Department
has produced under the Chief Executive's policy initiative
requiring all government departments and bureaus to produce
annual environmental performance reports. In going through
this second reporting exercise, particularly in reporting
on the progress in meeting the targets we had set last year,
we have learnt much in evaluating the impact our policies
and daily activities have had on the environment. This has
also allowed us to consider how we could improve on our work,
and set more realistic targets for the coming year.
As with
our last environmental performance report, we have tried to
be concise in reporting on our mainstream environmental protection
activities, as many of the details are provided in our annual
report, Environment Hong Kong 2001, which has just been published.
The present report focuses on our own direct impact on the
environment.
Concerning
our own environmental management system, I am pleased to report
that the Waste Facilities Business Unit obtained formal ISO
14001 certification last year. This is a clear indication
that we are committed to ensuring that our waste management
system and the operations of our many waste facilities meet
with the highest environmental standards. But with ISO 14001
certification comes a commitment to strive for continuous
improvement, and we will take this very seriously.
A setback
in 2000 was the slight increase in paper consumption recorded.
While this is mainly due to an increase in our workload, we
shall put in extra effort in the coming year to further identify
means of reducing paper consumption. For next year's report,
we intend not to produce a hard copy version. The major means
of publication would be through our website on the Internet,
with hyper-links to more detailed information where necessary,
e.g. the Environment Hong Kong report. Hard copies could still
be printed from the computer by the readers if required.
To help
us improve our reporting further, it is essential that we
have your feedback on this report. Your valuable comments
are most welcome, and you may send them to us using the feedback
form at the back of this report, but preferably by email to
<enquiry@epd.gov.hk>
.
Signature
of R. J. S. LAW, JP
R. J.
S. LAW, JP
Director of Environmental Protection
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