A concern group has alleged that a Hong Kong janitor was fined for littering while collecting trash on the street, criticising the prosecution as “excessively harsh” and disregarding workers’ routines.
Waste Picker Platform, a concern group for the welfare of cleaners, said on Thursday that a 71-year-old janitor had been fined by a plainclothes Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officer for littering.
In a Facebook post, the group said the worker, who looks after buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui, was fined after she placed two bags of trash in front of a private building before entering it to retrieve a trolley.
The janitor’s job duty is to “gather trash from buildings and shops at a specific location every night and move it to the waste station located on the next street,” the group said.
It added that the worker had served the area for over three decades and had never been prosecuted.
‘Excessively harsh standard’
According to the group, the FEHD officer did not identify themselves nor issue any verbal warning before citing the janitor for littering.
“Is this not an excessively harsh standard for the FEHD to prosecute littering, that cleaners handling trash are fined?” it said.
Waste Picker Platform criticised the FEHD officer’s move for exerting “an enormous negative impact” on workers handling waste in Hong Kong, including government employees and contractors.
The group said it would follow up on the case with lawyers and hopes to “address misunderstandings” with the FEHD.
But the group added that it would conduct “further action” if FEHD failed to address the “blind spot” in the law and the enforcement regarding littering.
In an emailed reply to HKFP on Friday evening, the FEHD said it was arranging a meeting with the janitor. “If the department confirms that the concerned person was not littering, it will consider rescinding the fixed penalty notice,” it said.
The FEHD added that the prosecution took place in Hau Fook Street in Tsim Sha Tsui, describing the street as a “hygiene black spot.” The department said it had issued 52 penalty notices since 2023 in that area.
“The FEHD’s experience shows that some cases involved irresponsible cleaners disposing of rubbish in back alleys,” it said. “FEHD officers prosecute cases of suspected littering based on the department’s guidelines, evidence at the scene, and other factors.”
Waste Picker Platform said on Saturday that the FEHD had approached the janitor, who declined to make further comment on the incident at this stage.
Littering can result in a fixed penalty of HK$3,000 in Hong Kong.
