Through a multipronged approach, the total number of dead rodents collected and live rodents caught from July to December last year was around 20% more than that of January to June, the Environment & Ecology Bureau said.

Upon releasing a review of its anti-rodent work in 2022 today, the bureau explained that since the establishment of the current-term Government in July last year, the bureau, with its policy functions expanded, has launched various new measures to actively tackle environmental hygiene black spots, combat shop front extensions and promote anti-rodent work.

For rodent control, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) set up 19 overnight rodent control teams in July and launched a trial scheme in November 2022 to allow licensed food premises to place large-size waste containers at rear lanes for temporary storage of waste until collection by cleaning workers hired by the food premises.

New anti-rodent methods and technology were also put into trial use in the second half of 2022, including the use of Ekomille and glue traps, and also a wider application of T-shape rodent bait boxes.

The total number of dead rodents collected and live rodents caught by the FEHD from July to December last year was 42,114, around 20%, more than that of January to June, and around 18% more than that in the corresponding period in 2021.

The number of live rodents caught has remarkably increased since the formation of overnight rodent control teams.

The number of live rodents caught during the second half of the year was 27,728, an increase of around 57% over that in the first half of the year, and around 50% more than the corresponding period in 2021.

Targeting the rodent problems in markets and fixed-pitch hawker areas, the FEHD has continued to implement deep cleaning operations at its markets and extended the intensive anti-rodent operations to all markets and fixed-pitch hawker areas.

Between August and December last year, the number of dead and live rodents removed from public markets was 8,026, which was around 56% more than the corresponding period in 2021.

On enforcements, the FEHD issued a total of around 42,000 fixed penalty notices and initiated around 1,900 prosecutions last year, targeting situations such as causing poor environmental hygiene conditions, food preparation and scullery at rear lanes, and improper storage of articles and illegal dumping of refuse.

Separately, the Home Affairs Department provided one-off cleaning services over 490 times to the common parts of some 480 "three-nil" buildings, and the FEHD stepped up street cleaning and pest control services at public places in their vicinity.

For public housing estates, the Housing Department, together with the FEHD and district stakeholders, conducted about 250 joint cleaning operations.