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In November 1998, the Government launched a 10-year Waste Reduction Framework
Plan. This was a response to the rapid growth in the amount of waste being
dumped in the landfills, leading to a significant reduction in their expected
lifespan. Given the shortage of land in Hong Kong and the keen competition
for any available space, it will be difficult to find sites for any new
landfills. The plan aims to reduce the amount of waste produced, to encourage
re-use and recycling, to promote greater efficiency and economy in the
management of waste, and to prolong the usable life of Hong Kong's landfills.
Waste recovery continues to play an important role
in waste management, resulting in the export of substantial quantities
of recovered waste materials for re-manufacturing outside Hong Kong. In
all, more than 2.1 million tonnes of waste materials — including
waste paper, metals and plastic — were exported in 2003, generating
export earnings of about $2.5 billion.
Waste prevention and recovery has been the Government's
main focus in tackling the waste problem. The Government introduced a
package of initiatives in 2001 to further promote waste prevention and
recycling and has been making progress in this regard.
Charging for waste disposal is an important element
in the waste management strategy adopted in Hong Kong. It can provide
economic incentives for waste producers to reduce waste and to carry out
sorting to facilitate re-use and recycling which will, in turn, help conserve
landfill capacity. As a first step, the Government intends to levy charges
for the disposal of construction waste at landfills, sorting facilities
and public fill reception facilities. In December, it introduced the Waste
Disposal (Amendment) (No.2) Bill into the Legislative Council to give
effect to the scheme for charging for construction waste disposal. Subject
to the passage of the bill and related regulations, the Government intends
to implement the charging scheme in late 2004.
All municipal solid waste is disposed of at three large modern landfills
in the New Territories. Specialist waste management contractors operate
these landfills to high environmental standards.
The community disposed of about 9 440 tonnes of municipal
solid wastes every day in 2003. Of this, 7 400 tonnes comprised domestic
waste and 2 040 tonnes comprised commercial and industrial waste. On average,
each person in Hong Kong disposed of about 1.38 kilograms of municipal
solid waste daily.
Rapid development in Hong Kong over the past decade
has contributed to a dramatic increase in the amount of construction and
demolition (C&D) material. The material generated every day amounted
to some 52 000 tonnes, on average, and about 87 per cent of it was suitable
for re-use in reclamation projects.
The current three landfills have a remaining lifespan
of only eight to 12 years. In 2003, the Government completed a study to
explore the feasibility of extending the existing landfills and to identify
potential new landfill sites. Extension schemes for the existing landfills
have been proposed. Planning and development work will soon proceed to
ensure the continuity of waste disposal outlets.
Hong Kong has 13 old landfills. For safety and environmental
reasons, restoration measures have been taken at these landfills, and
restoration of 12 of them has been completed. It is intended to restore
the last landfill, at Pillar Point Valley, by late 2005. After full restoration,
the sites may be used primarily for community and recreational activities.
The network of refuse transfer stations forms an important component
of the Government's waste disposal facilities. Waste collected in urban
centres is delivered to these stations, where it is compacted into sealed
containers for delivery to the three landfills.
Seven modern transfer stations and one set of Outlying
Island Transfer Facilities (OITF) handle a total of 5 720 tonnes of waste
every day. This is mostly domestic waste, and represents around 74 per
cent of Hong Kong's total daily domestic waste production. Six of these
transfer facilities — the stations at Hong Kong Island East, Hong
Kong Island West, West Kowloon, North Lantau and North-West New Territories
and the OITF on Ma Wan — also provide service to private waste collectors.
Comprehensive controls on the handling and disposal of chemical waste
have been in place since 1993. The former widespread malpractice of dumping
chemical waste into sewers and surface waters has stopped. All chemical
waste producers are required to properly pack, label and store their chemical
wastes before disposal at proper treatment facilities. A trip ticket system
— involving the waste producers, licensed collectors and licensed
disposal points — tracks the movement of chemical waste from its
origin to the final disposal point.
In 2003, a daily average of 117 tonnes of chemical
waste, including waste from sea-going vessels, was treated at the Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island, the main treatment facility
for chemical waste. A government contractor operates the treatment centre.
Waste producers using its services are required to pay part of the treatment
cost.
In recognition of the public health risks associated with the improper
handling of clinical waste generated by health-care activities, the Government
plans to implement legal controls on the handling, collection and disposal
of this type of waste. The Government also proposes to modify the Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre so that it can receive clinical waste for proper
treatment, replacing the current practice of disposing of untreated clinical
waste at landfills. The health-care sectors and other related parties
have been consulted and they generally supported the proposal. The Waste
Disposal (Amendment) Bill 2003, providing for the control of clinical
waste, was introduced into the Legislative Council in June. Subject to
the passage of the bill and related subsidiary legislation, the Government
intends to implement the controls in 2005.
No matter how effective it is in dealing with waste prevention and recycling,
Hong Kong still has to deal with a large volume of non-recyclable waste.
New facilities to treat waste and reduce its volume will have to be put
in place. Such facilities would need to meet the highest international
environmental standards and be cost-effective. In April 2002, the Government
invited the local and international waste management industries to express
their interest in proposing latest technologies for the development of
large-scale waste treatment facilities in Hong Kong. An Advisory Group,
comprising mainly non-officials, is now considering various waste management
technologies and options that are potentially suitable to Hong Kong. However,
even with such large-scale waste treatment facilities, there are residual
wastes that must be handled safely. Hence, Hong Kong will continue to
require landfills for final disposal of waste.
Controls on the import and export of waste under the Waste Disposal Ordinance
(WDO) came into operation on September 1, 1996. A ban on the importation
of hazardous waste from developed countries (mainly of the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union) was introduced
on December 28, 1998. The controls are in line with the Basel Convention
on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal.
The convention's main control mechanism requires notification
and consent by authorities of the states of origin, destination and transit
before the shipment of hazardous or non-recyclable waste can begin. The
import or export of hazardous waste into or out of Hong Kong without a
permit, regardless of the purpose of the import or export, is an offence
under the WDO. Maximum penalties include a fine of $200,000 and six months'
imprisonment for the first offence, and a fine of $500,000 and two years'
imprisonment for subsequent offences. In 2003, there were six prosecutions
for illegal import or export of waste, with fines totalling $130,000.
In January 2000, a memorandum of understanding with
the State Environmental Protection Agency was signed on the control of
hazardous waste shipments between the Mainland and the HKSAR.
The Marine Department deploys a fleet of seven government vessels and
68 contractors' vessels to collect floating refuse. In 2003, 13 926 tonnes
of floating refuse were collected. The Government has also tackled the
floating refuse problem by raising public awareness through publicity
and educational activities, and deterring marine littering by means of
enforcement action.
Hong Kong's development projects continue to generate vast quantities
of dredged mud that is unsuitable for reclamation or other uses (38.3
million cubic metres in 2003). It is dumped at sea in specified mud disposal
areas under a permit system. Regular monitoring is undertaken by the Government
to make sure that dumping operations would not create an unacceptable
impact on the marine environment. Because of the serious potential impact
illegal dumping has on the marine environment, the EPD maintains strict
control over dumping operations under the Dumping at Sea Ordinance. These
operations follow the requirements of the London Convention on marine
dumping.
Marine dumping permits only allow operations to be
carried out by a vessel equipped with an automatic self-monitoring device.
This device tracks all marine dumping operations by recording the position
and draught of the vessel, so that the authorities can trace any illegal
dumping in a cost-effective manner. Moreover, the department's inspectors
operate frequent patrols. There were seven convictions for illegal dumping
offences in 2003.
The assessment of progress towards achieving policy goals is one of the
EPD's key activities. Its routine monitoring and special investigations
form the basis for much of the strategic planning, provision of facilities
and statutory controls aimed at improving the environment. The department
has 94 sampling stations in the marine waters, including enclosed bays
and typhoon shelters, and another 82 stations for inland waters. It also
keeps 41 bathing beaches under surveillance.
The current water quality monitoring programme was
started in 1986. It provides a comprehensive record of the chemical, physical
and microbiological quality of Hong Kong's waters. The monitoring data
are depicted in the annual water quality reports which are available on
the EPD's home page. Members of the public are usually more interested
in the latest water quality of bathing beaches. Details of open beaches
are issued to the mass media and updated in the department's home page
every week. |
