A woman has won the sympathy of Hongkongers after she was fined HKD1,500 for her attempt to help elderly scavengers, Ming Pao Daily reports.
Amy Chan, a resident of Tsuen Wan, said she left a cardboard box next to a rubbish collection point at around 7pm on Friday evening when she was disposing of her garbage. Chan had reportedly done so to facilitate elderly scavengers in collecting cardboard, but in doing so, had apparently violated the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation.
In an online complaint, Chan says she was then approached by four members of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, who gave her a fixed-penalty ticket for HKD1,500.
Chan’s post garnered her widespread sympathy from netizens, many of whom called the department “ruthless” and “unfair”.
The FEHD recommends that citizens looking to help scavengers arrange to give them recyclable materials directly.
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