The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, today (November 13) officiated at the opening ceremony for the Tuen Mun Community Green Station (CGS), marking the launch of full services by the Tuen Mun CGS to encourage members of the public to practise waste reduction and clean recycling, and to foster a green community. 
 
      Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Wong said that waste reduction is a global trend and Hong Kong, as an international city, should step up its efforts in this regard. For this purpose, the Government is adopting a multi-pronged approach, including introducing municipal solid waste (MSW) charging, with a view to promoting waste reduction at source and clean recycling, and reducing the overall waste disposal level.  To tie in with the implementation of MSW charging, the Government attaches great importance to strengthening public education and recycling support for waste reduction and recycling, including the establishment of a network of CGS across the territory to strengthen the support for waste reduction and recycling and environmental education at the community level.
 
     Following an open tender by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Yan Oi Tong (YOT) was awarded a three-year service contract to operate the Tuen Mun CGS in June this year. Mr Wong noted that YOT is based in Tuen Mun and has long-term community service experience in the district. He said he was confident that YOT has the ability and experience to develop an extensive service network and provide recycling support and environmental education programmes to promote the message of "use less, waste less" at the community level, which will help facilitate the implementation of MSW charging in due course.
 
　　Located at 9 Tuen Yi Street in Tuen Mun, the Tuen Mun CGS is open to the public from 8am to 8pm daily, except for specified closed days. Prior to the official opening, the Tuen Mun CGS had already been actively providing a recyclables collection service for housing estates and organisations in the district that were participating in its recycling programmes, as well as holding environmental education programmes at various locations in the district to promote the messages of waste reduction at source and waste recycling. Following the official opening, the CGS will regularly collect recyclables from the community, including electrical appliances, glass containers, compact fluorescent lamps and tubes, rechargeable batteries, waste paper, waste metal and waste plastics. In addition, it will organise large-scale green events from time to time, such as swap events for the exchange of reusable resources such as used clothing, books and other reusable items to encourage waste reduction at source.
 
     The Tuen Mun CGS is the sixth CGS project commissioned. The other CGSs already in operation include the Sha Tin CGS, the Eastern CGS, the Kwun Tong CGS, the Yuen Long CGS and the Sham Shui Po CGS. All these projects are operating smoothly and have been well received by the local community. They are making good progress in providing support for waste reduction and recycling in the communities, and cumulatively the CGSs have collected over 3 000 tonnes of recyclables for delivery to suitable outlets for treatment. In addition, the operators of individual CGSs also organise various public educational events to promote the message of "use less, waste less" and to instill a green living culture in the community.
 
     In addition, the EPD earlier awarded the service contract for the Kwai Tsing CGS, which commenced operation on November 1 this year. An open tendering exercise for two service contracts for the Tai Po CGS and Islands CGS is in progress and the contracts are expected to be awarded in the first half of 2019. Information on the latest progress of the CGS projects is available on the EPD website at  www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/community/cgs_intro.htm. Members of the public can also learn more about CGS events organised through the dedicated Facebook pages of the individual CGSs.

  

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold a large-scale job fair at the Dragon Centre on November 15 and 16.

     With the theme of "Middle-aged and Elderly Employment", the job fair aims to promote employment opportunities for mature job seekers. A total of 44 organisations, mainly from the retail, property management, transport and catering industries, will participate in the fair, offering about 4 200 vacancies. They will set up counters and conduct on-the-spot recruitment.

     The vacancies offered cover a wide variety of positions including clerk, senior gardener, library assistant, sports and leisure attendant, patient care assistant, courier, shop assistant, security guard, driver, cook, waiter/waitress, and technician. Job seekers can find more information on the LD's Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk).

     Around 77 per cent of the vacancies are full-time jobs, most of which offer monthly salaries ranging from $9,000 to $18,000. The remaining 23 per cent of the vacancies are part-time jobs, with more flexible working hours. Over 99 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Six education level or below. Around 72 per cent are open to job seekers who may lack relevant work experience.

     Job seekers can submit applications on the spot and may be selected for on-site interviews. They can also make enquiries on the employment programmes and services provided by the LD at its counter at the venue.

     The job fair will be held from 11am to 5.30pm at Atrium, 1/F, Dragon Centre, 37 K, Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po (near Sham Shui Po MTR Station Exit C1). Admission is free.

     Police yesterday (November 12) held the Regional Traffic Day in Kowloon West to raise public awareness of road safety through stringent enforcement actions.

     A total of 238 officers from Traffic Kowloon West and District Traffic Teams of Kowloon City, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Districts were deployed to take enforcement actions at traffic black spots in Kowloon West.

     The operation resulted in the issue of 2 032 fixed penalty tickets and 121 summonses. Among the fixed penalty tickets and summonses issued, a total of 1 860 fixed penalty tickets were issued for illegal parking and the rest were for other traffic offences.

     Police figures revealed that a total of 2 723 traffic accidents involving casualties occurred in Kowloon West in the first ten months of 2018, of which 657 cases involved pedestrian injuries.

     Police will continue to take regular enforcement actions to ensure road safety.

     Hong Kong Customs today (November 12) arrested two female staff members of a beauty parlour suspected of applying a false trade description to the service offered to be supplied, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that female staff members of a beauty parlour in Mong Kok made a false claim to a customer that her accompanying friend had agreed to procure a discounted beauty treatment for two persons at a price two times higher than that was initially agreed.

     After investigation, Customs officers today arrested two women aged 25 and 46.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested women have been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.

     Under the TDO, any person who applies a false trade description to a service offered to be supplied to a consumer commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, (London ETO) took part in the City of London Lord Mayor's Show on November 10 (London time) for the 14th year with a float highlighting Hong Kong's remarkable progress in innovation and technology (I&T) development, which featured two five-metre-tall robots, one in retro-style representing robots of the past, and one imagining the future of artificial intelligence.

     The London ETO's float also featured a dragon dance team with traditional chinese drummers, flags and a diorama of some of the landmarks associated with I&T in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and the Cyberport.

     The annual Lord Mayor's Show celebrates the swearing-in of the new Lord Mayor of London, who serves as a global ambassador for the United Kingdom's financial services sector. This year, Alderman Peter Estlin became the 691st Lord Mayor of London and followed the parade in his gold state coach to the Royal Court of Justice to swear allegiance to the Queen. More than half a million people take to the streets to see the parade each year, while the BBC broadcasts it live to millions of people in Britain and globally.

     The Director-General of the London ETO, Ms Priscilla To, whose office devised and organised Hong Kong's float, said, "We congratulate the new Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Estlin, and look forward to working with him over the coming year. Our float in this year's Lord Mayor's Show took the theme 'Shaping Tomorrow's City Today', promoting Hong Kong's remarkable progress in developing into an I&T hub, and particularly in the areas of smart city technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedicine." 

     London ETO has been taking part in the Lord Mayor's Show since 2005, with colourful and exciting displays highlighting the city's cultural heritage, including Cantonese opera, the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree and Cheung Chau Bun Festival, comic and animation characters from Hong Kong, kung fu movies, and some of Hong Kong's most surprising tourism attractions.