There were fewer litterbugs this Christmas Eve, according to the Leisure & Cultural Services Department. From 7pm on the eve to 6am Christmas Day, 2.4 tonnes of litter was picked up from the Cultural Centre - 2.1 tonnes from the rubbish bins and the rest from the ground. Last year, 13 tonnes were collected.

Six fixed penalty tickets were issued to litterbugs. There were 569 verbal warnings and one summons for illegal hawking, six verbal warnings for spray painting activities. No trees, sculptures nor walls were defaced.

The department has stepped up measures against littering at the venue by putting up more banners and arranging on-site announcements appealing to visitors to keep the place clean.

More staff, security guards and cleaning staff were also deployed at the Cultural Centre.

Extra staff ensure cleanliness

The department had 100 staff patrolling the venue. Special enforcement teams were formed with the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department that also had 100 staff in Tsim Sha Tsui area to tackle the problems of littering and illegal hawking.

The Police would also take necessary action against spray paint activities and vandalism.

More than 140 large and standard refuse bins were arranged to collect rubbish while 50 cleaning staff worked overnight to clean up the venue.

As part of the community support, around 100 volunteers helped spread the message of care for our environment.

It urged members of the public to be civic-minded and help keep places clean during festive celebrations.