Rats run rampant as trash woes spill over at dai pai dong

Staff reporters

A long-established dai pai dong in Sham Shui Po has become a haven for rats due to poor hygiene, according to a report by Sing Tao Probe.

The situation was only recently remedied by the removal of two waste bins following complaints from the community.

Keung Kee Dai Pai Dong - known for its vibrant, green-painted steel kitchen, foldable roadside tables and dishes infused with "great wok hei" -- has been serving customers on Ki Lung Street for more than four decades.

The stall previously had two 660-liter wheelie bins for food waste and other refuse. The always-open bins, which nearby residents and shops also used for disposal, attracted the rats.

Reporters observed that around 11.30 pm, after staff had already cleaned the area, squeaking sounds from the bins indicated rats were foraging inside, even with pedestrians nearby.

A local resident named Ho expressed hope that the government would enhance public hygiene awareness or provide additional bins for community use.

"I often see a lot of rats wandering around the rubbish bins at night," she said.

An employee of the dai pai dong, Wong, expressing his frustration with the situation, said that despite cleaning the streets daily, rats that were "as fat as cats" would still appear.

He said there are two public refuse collection points on Pai Ho and Tai Nan streets, but their distance from the dai pai dong and nearby residences have led locals to dump rubbish in the stall's bins, which were not designed to handle such a volume.

The existing bins were insufficient for the current garbage load, Wong suggested, but locking them after hours could lead residents to indiscriminately throw trash around the area, complicating cleanup efforts.

District councilor Chan Lung-kit said Sham Shui Po has been plagued by rat problems for a long time.

He said many nearby residences find it difficult to hire cleaners as they are "three-nil buildings," that is, they don't have owners' corporations, residents' organizations or property management companies.

Residents often dumped their waste into the dai pai dong's bins for convenience.

In response to media inquiries, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department reported issuing 38 summons to the dai pai dong owner last month.

The department reminded the stall's management to arrange for proper refuse collection and manage waste responsibly, including securely tying up trash bags and placing them in covered bins.