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Letters

Concerns over new organic waste plant
I am pleased that the Legislative Council's panel on environmental affairs has approved funding for the construction of Hong Kong's first organic waste treatment plant in northern Lantau.
Although some argue that the government should focus on waste reduction at source, building the Siu Ho Wan facility is still necessary to treat the waste that cannot be avoided, such as vegetable and fruit trimmings, and fish bones.
However, I have some concerns about the project.
According to the Environmental Protection Department's website, the collected food waste will be composted to produce soil conditioners, for example. It is estimated that about 20 tonnes of compost will be generated daily.
Yet, soil conditioner does not have to be applied every day to enhance the growth of plants and crops.
I therefore think this 20 tonnes will exceed the demand in Hong Kong.
The government should think of the possible uses and distribution channels for the soil conditioner.
If it is not used and therefore some of this material is wasted, the plant will become a white elephant.
Apart from market size, the department will also have to recognise the importance of quality control. If quality control is variable, it will be difficult to process it effectively.
Given that 200 tonnes of food waste will be treated per day, how can the government ensure the quality of the organic product that is generated by the plant?
As the focus initially is on business waste, officials will have to work with what are described as "professional kitchens" so that companies educate kitchen staff to co-operate with the food waste recycling programme.
It might be more cost-effective for the department to start with large food companies and hotels.
It could also work with property management companies of shopping malls to engage restaurant tenants in the programme as they can spread the message more quickly and effectively.
Emily Lam, Tai Po
 
Act swiftly to address speech problems
I was very happy to read the article by Kate Whitehead ("It's hard to spot speech delay, but it should be dealt with straight away", March 17). I am certain it will help many parents of children with speech delay. Early intervention with a speech therapist is the best thing for all speech problems faced by children.
I know that for stuttering, all experts recommend that children be brought to a speech therapist as soon as the stuttering starts.
Stuttering affects 1 per cent of adults and 4 per cent of children throughout the world; of children who stutter, 75 per cent will stop stuttering entirely and early speech therapy helps increase the chance that a child will stop.
With these statistics about the number of children who stutter, we all know that many Chinese children, both in China and other countries, are affected by stuttering.
There is a non-profit charity here in the US called the Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org).
Its website provides many important free resources to the parents of those children who stutter that can be accessed by people in China who can read English.
It is also possible to do a search on this website using the term "Chinese resources".
Ping Cheung, New York, US
 
Angered by grain-fed beef claims in ads
I recently visited Hong Kong International Airport and as a veterinarian was shocked to see that most restaurants hosted advertisements for US beef, provided by the US Meat Export Federation.
These were not little pictures, but huge banners with huge letters proclaiming "100 per cent Natural from Nature" and a huge photograph of Aberdeen Angus beef cattle on a picture of bright green grass.
The clincher is when you read on to the actual product, and discover that it is advertising grain-fed beef.
Cows do not eat grain; they eat grass. Grass is natural; grain-fed beef is the farthest thing from natural that you can get.
Grain-fed beef comes from intensive farms, with cattle raised on concrete, eating unnatural foods and being pumped full of chemicals (hormones and antibiotics) to help them cope with this unnatural lifestyle.
It is the most unhealthy beef you can get, and is certainly not "natural" nor "from nature".
How is it possible that every unsuspecting visitor to the airport can be subjected to this misinformation?
Also, how is it possible the US Meat Export Federation is allowed to advertise in this way?
Who is benefiting from this agreement? It is most certainly not the customer.
Dr Shevaun Gallwey, Tai Wai
 
Gay ban snubs basic tenet of Christianity
The baleful influence of fundamentalist Christian missionaries from the West has already aided and abetted the ferociously anti-gay legislation now in force in Uganda and Nigeria, as gay activists there have testified.
Now a similar kind of nastiness is rearing its head in the shape of the anti-gay strictures on teachers at Christian International School in darkest Sha Tin ("Christian school seeks 'role models', bans gay teachers", March 16).
What happened to that all-embracing Christian injunction about loving thy neighbour as thyself (read also gay colleague or gay student)?
Duncan B. Hunter, Sai Kung
 
We should be grateful to city's cyclists
I felt saddened by Andy Chan Chi-wa's comments in his letter ("Ban all bulky items during rush hour", March 17).
We have all had the uncomfortable experience of travelling on the MTR during the rush hour and having to put up with bulky items that so many mainland passengers bring on board.
Sometimes, you feel some of these people are being very selfish, but I think we have to view people carrying their bicycles differently.
Cycling is environmentally friendly and can help to reduce air pollution levels.
We should be grateful to people who are willing to opt to use a bicycle rather than driving.
They are making a contribution to efforts to improve the environment.
And they are sending an important message in a city where so many of us take for granted, and continue to waste, the city's resources, such as electricity.
Sarah Kong, Sha Tin
 
Proposed fine will act as deterrent
I support the government's proposal to impose HK$1,500 spot fines on shops that spill out onto the street.
At present, shopkeepers have to be taken to court where they face fines of around HK$600 or less.
When shopkeepers put their goods outside their premises, they make the thoroughfare narrower.
This is very inconvenient for pedestrians, especially for people in wheelchairs who may have difficulty getting past the obstruction.
Also, some shop owners use the pavement to discard boxes or other forms of rubbish. This can pile up and cause a further obstruction and it is not hygienic.
It is clear that something must be done to tackle the problems I have described.
This new fine can act as a deterrent to shopkeepers who want to avoid having to pay the HK$1,500 fine.
Critics might argue it would impose financial pressure on people, especially those, for example, who only have small stalls in wet markets.
However, they have to be made to realise that it is inappropriate to use public areas in this way. The present penalty is too low and it clearly had to be raised.
Before it is introduced, the government should run a promotional campaign, making people aware that the higher penalty is coming into force.
I also think there needs to be a period of public consultation.
Lui Wai-ki, Kowloon Tong
 
Society needs harmony, not polarisation
It is difficult to know who is right and wrong when you look at the arguments that have broken out between Hongkongers and mainland visitors. However, for the sake of ensuring stability, there is a need for reflection on both sides.
The influx of these visitors has put pressure on the supply of certain goods and the government has to restrict the numbers of tourists allowed into Hong Kong.
Education is also important so that mainlanders become aware of the problems they are causing in the city.
The protesters who insulted mainland shoppers in Tsim Sha Tsui in February argue that they are protecting Hong Kong's core values, but this is not the case.
They are guilty of discrimination and this is not acceptable in a modern city like Hong Kong which prides itself on being an international tourist destination.
We should be trying to maintain a harmonious society.
Discrimination adversely affects the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland and we should be trying to avoid polarisation.
Anthony Wah Chi-shing, Ho Man Tin


Letters to the Editor, March 24, 2014

It is natural for cows to eat grass, not grain. Photo: AFP

It's hard to spot speech delay, but it should be dealt with straight away

Gay teachers banned from International Christian School in Sha Tin 

The International Christian School. Photo: Red Door News

Teachers at the International Christian School must agree to be "exemplary role models"

Letters to the Editor, March 17, 2014

Tighter checks of poultry are needed. Photo: AFP

Opinion

I am pleased that the Legislative Council's panel on environmental affairs has approved funding for the construction of Hong Kong's first organic waste treatment plant in northern Lantau.
