Building Partnerships

RECOGNISING THE NEED to win support from all segments of society for environmental initiatives, the EPD has been building partnerships with relevant stakeholders and professionals at both the local, national and international levels. The experience gained from these outside contacts is invaluable.

Locally

In 2000, the EPD organised 30 environmental seminars for a total of 3,400 participants from various trades to arouse their environmental awareness and to help them to comply with the environmental law requirements. Apart from organising these seminars, the EPD initiated partnerships with three local trades that attract considerable pollution complaints from the public. The goal is to encourage better compliance. With the construction trade, we are promoting dialogues on pollution control information exchange, helping contractors and consultants to identify ways of reducing environmental impacts, and working with major contractors to set up mitigation measures for compliance. With motor vehicle repair workshops, we are working with the Hong Kong Vehicle Repair Merchants Association to promote environmentally friendly operations. Once we identify any suspected violation, we will inform the association whose representatives will visit these workshops to discuss how to reduce their pollution. We are also contacting various institutions about arranging technical advice on pollution control. With the restaurant trade, we are giving workshops and arranging technical advice on reducing cooking fumes, odour and smoke.

The EPD also has on-going contacts with other sectors of society. We meet regularly with the green groups and community groups to exchange views and work together on projects and campaigns. We collaborate with private sector companies in trial schemes, such as the bus companies with whom we tested Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel fuel. Formal consultation on environmental issues is conducted through the Advisory Council on the Environment and the Environmental Affairs Panel of the Legislative Council. In addition, we participate in District Council, industrial and business association meetings to explain new environmental initiatives and to seek their views. Partnerships with District Councils were strengthened in 2000 to promote waste reduction and recycling.

Image of A workshop was held with the Hong Kong Vehicle Repair Merchants Association on reducing pollution caused by the trade
Image of The 2nd Progress Meeting of the Mirs Bay Water Quality Regional Control Strategy Joint Working Group

Another local partnership is with the rest of government. Under the Waste Reduction Task Force for Government, we began working with the Government Supplies Department (GSD) in 1999 to establish green product specifications for commonly used items such as paper products. By the end of 2000, 31 product categories were reviewed and the relevant green specifications incorporated as appropriate. The information is available on the Waste Reduction Committee's web page (http://www.info.gov.hk/wrc) so the private sector and outside organisations can refer to it when buying their supplies. The GSD also requires contractors to reduce packaging and, since 1997, it has arranged for a local oil recycler to collect waste oil from all government departments, recovering about 680 tonnes per year. In 2000, the Government's Stores and Procurement Regulations have been amended to require the inclusion of environmental considerations in the drawing up of tender specifications.

On the professional level, we initiated the Professional Persons Environmental Consultative Committee which serves as a forum for local professional institutions to exchange views and develop professional practice notes on good environmental measures.

Nationally

The EPD maintains regular contacts with the environmental authorities on the Mainland to tackle cross-border environmental issues. In January 2000, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the State Environmental Protection Administration on the control of cross-border waste shipments. During the year, we participated in the State Oceanic Administration's (SOA) Second National Marine Pollution Baseline Survey and made preparations to participate in the SOA's National Marine Environmental Monitoring Network in 2001, an exercise which has resulted from an MOU signed with the SOA in 1999. We hosted a visit by the Director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau and met with judges of the Beijing Supreme People's Court to discuss trade and the environment.

Closer to home, we continued to work with our counterparts in Guangdong on shared environmental issues. Under the Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection, which was launched in 1999 to replace the Hong Kong-Guangdong Environmental Protection Liaison Group, a study of air pollution in the Pearl River Delta Region was launched in 1999. The Joint Working Group also launched a study to draw up a regional water quality control strategy for Mirs Bay, following a similar one already completed for Deep Bay in 1998.

In collaboration with the State Environmental Protection Administration, we organised a nation-wide environmental proposal competition for youth in 2000. We also worked with the environmental protection bureaus of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macau to promote the theme of "Clean Air" for World Environment Day 2000.

Internationally

We worked closely with Canada, Vienna and Australia in 2000. Our partnership with Canada dates back to 1992 when we signed an MOU on environmental collaboration. Since then we have organised various workshops and exchanges of information. In 2000 we organised an international workshop on enforcement practices with Canada, with participation also from the United Kingdom and Australia. EPD officers also went to Canada for several weeks to study enforcement practices there. We also organised a joint workshop on environmental impact assessments with Canada. We will carry out programmes on the Work Plan for 2001 with Canada.

An MOU with Vienna was signed in 1999 and in 2000 the EPD and Vienna's environmental officials organised a workshop to exchange information and experiences. The EPD and Environment Australia announced in 2000 they would improve cooperation. This resulted in an EPD official being invited to the Sydney 2000 Olympics to observe how the "green games" were being promoted.

Image of International Workshop on Enforcement of Pollution Control under the MOU with Canada