Officers of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) make regular inspections of potential air polluting plants and respond to air pollution complaints raised by the public. Enforcement is empowered by the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) and its subsidiary regulations. When appropriate, the EPD gives advice or issues a legal notice to the premises to abate the air pollution. If the advice or legal notice is ignored, legal action is then taken against the offender. In 2016, the EPD gave advice on 2 260 occasions, served 156 notices and undertook 90 prosecutions under the APCO and 1 prosecution under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance (OLPO) (see chart below).
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