The Waste Disposal Plan, published in 1989, sets out a strategy for municipal solid waste disposal in Hong Kong. Old waste facilities have been phased out and new, cost-effective facilities have been built to higher environmental standards, under the management of the Environmental Protection Department. The new facilities include three strategic landfills and a network of refuse transfer stations. The three landfills have a total capacity of about 140 million cubic metres. Six refuse transfer stations and a system of refuse transfer facilities serving the outlying islands are in operation, with a total handling capacity of 8 300 tonnes a day.

Waste Facilities Serving Hong Kong 1996-2006

Programme for Development of Waste Facilities Waste Facilities Date of Commission Design Capacity Capital Cost** ($M) Estimated Operation Cost** ($M/yr) Strategic Landfills:         1. West New Territories Landfill Commissioned on 19.11.93 61 Mm3 (site area: 110 hectares) 1,800 135 2. South East New Territories Landfill Commissioned on 26.9.94 43 Mm3 (site area: 100 hectares) 2,100 155 3. North East New Territories Landfill Commissioned on 1.6.95 35 Mm3 (site area: 61 hectares) 900 110 Refuse Transfer Stations (TS) :         1. Kowloon Bay TS* Commissioned on 9.4.90 1 800 tpd - - 2. Island East TS Commissioned on 16.11.92 1 200 tpd 380 80 3. Sha Tin TS Commissioned on 29.10.94 1 000 tpd 200 35 4. West Kowloon TS Commissioned on 19.6.97 2 500 tpd 630 75 5. Island West TS Commissioned on 1.5.97 1 000 tpd 640 50 6. North Lantau TS Commissioned on 1.6.98 1 200 tpd 240 20 7. Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities Commissioned on 13.3.98 (Phase I & II) 610 tpd 300 40 8. North West New Territories TS Commissioned on 14.9.2001 1 100 tpd 210 20 9. South East Kowloon TS 2013 (tentative) 3 000 tpd 750 93 Special Waste Facilities : 1. Sha Ling Livestock Waste Composting Plant and livestock waste collection service Commissioned in 1991 20 tpd 14 13 2. Chemical Waste Treatment Centre Commissioned on 13.4.93 100 000 tonnes per year 1,300 335 3. Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility Commissioned on 19.7.05 133 cu.m 79.6 1.5 Programme for Landfill Restoration Landfills   Date of Commissioning of Restoration Facilities Capital Cost** ($M) Estimated Operation Cost** ($M/yr) 1. Jordan Valley Landfill   Urban Landfills       2. Ma Yau Tong Central Landfill         3. Ma Yau Tong West Landfill   May 1998 249 17.2 4. Sai Tso Wan Landfill         5. Ngau Chi Wan Landfill   Dec 2000     6. Shuen Wan Landfill     Dec 1997 162 4.3 7. Tseung Kwan O Landfills     Feb 1999 369 16.2 8. Ma Tso Lung Landfill   NWNT Landfills June 2000     9. Siu Lang Shui Landfill   June 2000 170 4.9 10. Ngau Tam Mei Landfill   May 2000     11. Pillar Point Valley Landfill     July 2006 199 11.7 12. Gin Drinkers Bay Landfill     Oct 2000 162 10.5 * Temporarily closed in April 2005. ** All costs shown for completed facilities are actual costs; the rest are estimated costs based on 2007/08 financial year.