The FEHD provides effective and efficient public cleansing services, such as street cleansing, waste collection and the provision of public toilets. The department provides manual street sweeping services in all urban and rural areas. The frequency of sweeping varies from once to eight times daily, depending on the need in each area.

Waste is collected daily throughout the year, even on Lunar New Year's Day when major refuse collection points remain open for collection of domestic waste and junk. The department has 202 refuse collection vehicles for collecting domestic waste and junk, or bulkier domestic refuse. In 2005, about 5 453 tonnes of domestic waste were collected every day.

To meet growing public expectations, the department has taken various measures to improve public toilet facilities, including the provision of toilet attendants in toilets with high usage rates. Under a regular refurbishment programme, 11 public toilets and aqua privies were improved during the year and eight aqua privies were converted into flushing toilets.

In accordance with the recommendations made by Team Clean — the environmental hygiene group established in the aftermath of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome — the Home Affairs Department continues to assume the central coordinating role in spearheading inter-departmental efforts to improve district hygiene, encourage community involvement and promote civic education. The FEHD continues its various programmes and operations in enhancing cleanliness and improving environmental hygiene to achieve a cleaner Hong Kong and foster higher cleanliness awareness in the community.

Working in collaboration with other departments and participating communities, the FEHD provided cleansing services at streets, public places, rear lanes and environmental hygiene 'black spots'; disseminated health education messages on the importance of environmental hygiene; and took stringent enforcement action. It cleared 149 hygiene 'black spots' and collected or removed about 460 tonnes of junk and refuse. About 3 300 temporary workers provided improved cleansing services in public areas and food markets and helped control rodents and mosquitoes during the year.

The FEHD took stringent enforcement action against public cleanliness offences such as littering and spitting. Over 22 000 fixed penalty notices were issued during the year.