Like any public organisation, the EPD has a wide base of clients - the people, industries and community groups that it deals with on a regular basis. For some clients, such as the general public, we provide a service by responding to their complaints and acting to ensure their environment is kept safe and clean. For others, such as the construction trade and restaurants, our relationship is more of a partnership in which we work together to reduce pollution offences.

The importance of our clients has increased in recent years, along with the realisation that pollution control is a community-wide imperative, not one that the department can achieve on its own. The EPD therefore has put resources into improving the services it offers to both the public and to industry. The intention is to be more accountable and to try to educate stakeholders about their rights and responsibilities in protecting the environment.

The renovated EPD headquarters reception counter equipped with multi-media facilities for more effective dissemination of information to the public.

Central to the department's efforts to provide good service is the Performance Pledge, which summarises the range of services we offer and the standards we aim to achieve in such things as responding to calls and processing applications. The speed with which we do these things is important because it demonstrates that we give these matters serious and prompt attention. Time-based targets have been set in 31 areas. We achieved 100 per cent compliance with 30 of our targets in 2002-03, and 97 per cent in the remaining target. In many cases we exceeded our targets

The pledge for 2003-04 sets out our targets for the year, as well as describes new and improved customer services. In 2003, a new Environmental Resource Centre opened in Fanling to complement two others in helping to raise environmental awareness among the general public (see Community Awareness chapter for details). Improvements were made to our website to make it easier for both the public and operators to get specific information. The main reception counter at our headquarters on the 28th floor of Southorn Centre was renovated and equipped with multi-media facilities such as the touch-screen computer terminal and Plasma TV to give visitors easier access to information. The public can learn more about these services and the department's work on our website, where the full Performance Pledge is posted (http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/about_epd/perf_pledge/perf_pledge.html).

(Top) Performance Pledge 2003-04 summarises the range of services and standards we pledge to achieve. (Bottom) Customer Service Centre operators can pinpoint the exact location of a complaint through the geographical information system.

Responding to enquiries and complaints from the public is not simply a matter of giving a reply in a set time period. People need to feel satisfied with the answers they receive, so the EPD has made it a priority to upgrade its customer service facilities over the past two years.

In October 2002 the department opened a Customer Service Centre. Calls are answered within three or four rings and callers speak to a telephone operator, not a voice-mail system. Operators are trained to deal with specific pollution problems and a geographical information system enables them to pinpoint the exact location of a complainant's problem on a map. The system also lets the operator see if other complaints have been lodged, if a permit has been issued for the work and if any abatement notice or prosecution is underway. They also have access to information about environmental laws. More than 40 per cent of the 22 000 or so complaints received in 2003 were resolved over the telephone because people were able to get answers to their queries right away. Over 94 per cent of some 43 000 public enquiries received were also resolved over the phone.

Access to environmental information has also been improved, so the public can check the appropriate laws themselves and learn more about the EPD's programmes. Our website (http://www.epd.gov.hk) is an important tool in this respect. The site was upgraded in 2003 to provide the public with easy access to information. For example, environmental standards and guidelines have been packaged into one page to make it easier to look up this information. Web pages have been created on special subjects, such as dioxins and our partnership programmes, to better inform the public and explain the department's position. A version in simplified Chinese characters is also available on the website to widen accessibility to mainland viewers. In addition, an Environmental Protection Interactive Centre (EPIC) has been set up, which enables visitors to get statistics and other information tailor-made by typing in parameters, such as a date and location for air pollution readings.

The website is also an important tool for communicating with operators who are affected by anti-pollution controls. Applications for licenses and permits can be downloaded from the site and a special section on laws is included, which explains the requirements under different ordinances. The Cyber Help Bench on the EIA process provides information and guidance notes on EIAs with one click of the button. The page on partnerships includes links to training materials, a one-stop list of compliance guides for each industry and examples of good practices, including a web page on Green Construction Examples in Hong Kong. These links are important supplements to the EPD's partnership programmes, in which we work with targeted industries to reduce pollution.

(Left) The upgraded EPD website provides easier access to information. (Right) An EPIC website is set up for the public to get tailor-made statistics and information.

Formal partnership programmes were developed through our Local Control Offices (LCOs), which are responsible for enforcing anti-pollution laws. It was recognised that the threat of punishment and being caught polluting were not adequate deterrents. Some operators also felt their needs were not properly understood. Beginning in the late 1990s, the LCOs began to develop a new approach in dealing with polluters. Regular discussions, seminars and workshops were held, and these were formalised into partnership programmes with four industries of special concern.

The construction industry, vehicle repair workshops, restaurants and property management companies (which deal with domestic renovation work) are common sources of pollution complaint. The partnership programmes aim to improve these operators' understanding of their legal requirements, offer advice on pollution prevention measures and encourage them to perform better in specific areas. The EPD and industry associations work together to provide training and handbooks, set up websites and organise conferences and other special activities. These on-going contacts also enable the EPD to gain a better understanding of the constraints and opportunities faced by each industry, and provide them with a better service. For example, in 2003 the department reached agreement with the construction industry to shorten the processing of noise permit applications from 18-23 days to 14 days, provided all applications were in good order. Information on application requirements was disseminated over the website and in seminars (see boxes for more details about individual partnership programmes).

		The partnership programmes aim to help operators understand the legal requirements. The partnership between the EPD and the Hong Kong Construction Association stretches back to 1997, when we began working together to address noise and other issues that were attracting a lot of complaints from the public. These efforts were later formalised into a partnership programme in which the two sides meet every three months, organise joint seminars and conferences and publish materials for the trade, such as a pocket handbook and CD-ROM. Construction site displaying an environmental permit. In 2003, three environmental training workshops were organised, green construction examples featuring Hong Kong projects were published on the EPD website and the EPD agreed to shorten the processing time of noise permit applications. The department also worked with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in preparing materials for a new 30-hour course on green construction for senior project supervisors.

		Garages are sources of noise, fumes and other pollution - as well as complaints. The EPD therefore formed a partnership with the Environmental Vehicle Repairers Association Ltd. (EVRA) and the Hong Kong Vehicle Repair Merchants Association Ltd. (HKVRMA) to address the problems. With EPD's support, the associations set up an ambassador programme, in which their representatives visit garages and advise them on controlling pollution. The programme is a good example of how industries can help to police themselves. (Top) Ambassadors promoting environmental compliance to a vehicle repair workshop owner. (Bottom) Ms Betty Cheung, Principal Environmental Protection Officer, EPD, (centre) meets representatives of the vehicle repair trade in a partnership programme. In 2003 the EPD released a guidebook and educational VCD for the trade on how to control pollution and comply with environmental laws. The EPD and the two vehicle repair associations also laid the groundwork for a "Green Garage Election" to recognise those operators who are adopting green practices. The winners will be announced in May 2004.

		The Director of Environmental Protection, Mr Rob Law (centre), and other guests at the opening ceremony of the mooncake containers recycling campaign. The EPD and restaurant associations have established a green restaurant website (http://www.greenrestaurant-hk.org) and a hotline to offer advice on environmental matters affecting the trade. In 2003 a campaign was organised to recover mooncake containers for recycling. Two major restaurant associations joined forces to organise the campaign, which was supported by the EPD. They offered incentives such as coupons for those who turned in containers and more than 25 000 containers were recovered.       The restaurant partnership offers help and advice to the trade in many environmental matters, such as the effective treatment of cooking fumes. In addition, a follow-up action was organised to a 2002 study trip to Japan, in which members of the restaurant trade, academics and government officials (including the Environmental Protection Department, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Housing Department and Buildings Department) gained valuable knowledge and experience of environmental controls and equipment there. The Japanese have designed a device that saves water when washing dishes, without reducing the high-jet effect that is preferred by restaurant operators. A six-months trial of the device was organised in 2003 with the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute in Pokfulam.

		Mr Mike Stokoe, Deputy Director (second from right), Dr Mike Chiu, Assistant Director (Local Control) (right), and other officiating guests at the Experience Sharing Forum - Environmental Property Management Partnership Programme. The partnership with the property management sector began in response to persistent complaints about noise and other pollution from renovation work on housing estates. Initially, the programme involved disseminating information and providing advice on controlling pollution. In 2003 a dedicated website (http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/greenproperty) was set up which provides guidance on a range of pollution problems. A new approach was also taken during the year to focus less on what property managers should be doing and listen more to what they have already done. Six talks were organised with representatives from large property management companies and their subsidiaries. The companies have organised many activities, such as enhancing the Waste Recycling Campaign in Housing Estates by setting targets and offering chops towards a certificate or souvenir for those who separate their waste for recycling. Also in 2003, the EPD began working with the Lands Department to develop environmental property management clauses for Deeds of Mutual Covenant.

As a result of these partnerships, complaints about the four affected industries have dropped from 8 202 complaints in 2002 to 7 458 in 2003. Convictions in these industries have fallen even more sharply, from 427 in 2002 to 237 in 2003. This success has inspired other, less formal partnerships to be formed, for example with the hotel and transport industries. The EPD is also working with other government bureaux and departments to reduce their environmental impacts. All arms of government are required to produce annual environmental performance reports and the EPD has provided training and a benchmark tool to guide them. Works departments have been given training and guidance in the production of environmental impact assessments, an area that is broadening to include the private sector (see Environmental Assessment and Planning chapter for details). Individual areas of concern are also addressed through workshops and exchanges. The EPD and Highways Department exchanged staff in 2003 to understand better the problem of traffic noise, and the department organised an international seminar on noise barriers (see Noise chapter for details). Improving the environment in Hong Kong requires some give-and-take. The EPD is happy to provide people with a prompt response to their calls, but the public must also try to understand that there are laws and regulations governing our enforcement actions. Industry and other operators understandably need some guidance in complying with environmental requirements, which the EPD is well positioned to offer. But they must also recognise that they have a responsibility to put this guidance into practice. The EPD is trying to improve the information and assistance it offers to ensure everyone understands the rules, as well their obligations to help protect the environment.