Hong Kong recycler Mil Mill calls off open day, citing ‘complaint’ received by gov’t
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s only drinks carton recycler Mil Mill has cancelled an open day, citing a “complaint” received by the government.
Co-founder Nigel Lo told HKFP on Tuesday that they called off the event after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) told him that holding the open day without a permit could constitute a breach of law.
The recycler said on Monday that its open day, originally scheduled to take place this coming Sunday at their new location in Fanling, would be cancelled due to a complaint.
The recycler said in a Chinese statement posted Monday on Instagram: “Dear citizens, we regret to announce that the open day for Mil Mill’s new factory, originally scheduled for March 9, has to be cancelled due to a complaint received by the relevant government departments. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The open day, announced early last month, would have featured an educational tour of the facility, with other green organisations also present to showcase their work.
Lo also told HKFP that the Fire Services Department visited the facility for an inspection on Tuesday morning. No prosecution was made, but he said he expected visits from various government departments in the coming days.
Permit required
The FEHD told Lo that holding the open day without a permit could violate the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance, saying it had received a complaint. The department did not reveal the content of the complaint, Lo said.
Under the ordinance, it is illegal to hold a public entertainment event without a required licence.
Lo added that he asked whether the recycler could hold a private event instead, only inviting friends. But he added that the FEHD said it would send in undercover officers to check whether the event was closed to the public.
Lo also said he was told that under the ordinance, the workshops and exhibitions could be construed as entertainment. The ordinance “has too many grey areas,” he said.
The co-founder also said he was unclear as to whether an investigation into Mil Mill was underway.
He added that the recycler would hold off applying for a licence as it could not afford the costs of conducting extra checks, including those for fire and building safety, to make sure Mil Mill would qualify for the permit.
“Our original intent was just to hold an educational event, to increase knowledge of recycling, and to increase the recycling rate,” Lo said in Cantonese.
HKFP has reached out to the FEHD for comment.
Lo was told by the FEHD that other government departments had received similar complaints, however, Mil Mill itself has not received any complaints, he said.
LGBTQ group Gay Harmony called off a Pride Month bazaar last June after the government told the organisers that they had no licence to hold the event.
The FEHD conducted an investigation on Hunter Bookstore in Sham Shui Po last July after it received a complaint over the alleged use of its premises as a place of public entertainment without a licence.
Established in 2019, Mil Mill left its original site in Yuen Long and moved into its current location in Fanling last year, after its government-backed landlord refused to renew the recycler’s lease in 2022.
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