Programmes and Services

A number of programmes and services have been introduced alongside legislation to remove or control pollution. The greatest effort has been towards controlling waste. Waste disposal services have received large inputs of capital and during this decade three strategic landfills were built, a Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island began operation and, in 1998, the Waste Reduction Framework Plan was unveiled. It aims to reduce waste through incineration, recycling and other measures. Other initiatives on waste included clearing up 13 major blackspots in the New Territories and extending services at several refuse transfer stations to the private sector.

Large amounts of money and effort have also gone into tackling water pollution. Each day 1.5 million tonnes of untreated sewage is dumped into Victoria Harbour and the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme aims to collect and treat that sewage and discharge it via an outfall off East Lamma by 2008. Work continued on the scheme in 1998. Studies were undertaken on how to control water pollution from the growth in population, especially in the New Territories.

The EPD's complaint hotline service has a high level of customer satisfaction.

A one-year trial of liquefied petroleum gas taxis was successfully completed in 1998 and it is planned all new taxis will run on the gas from 2000. Tighter emission standards for new light duty diesel vehicles were introduced and a more effective test for smoky vehicles underwent a successful trial. The Air Pollution Index was revamped to include a roadside index and make it easier to understand.

Some 380 000 people exposed to ear-splitting aircraft noise finally got relief in 1998 when the airport was moved from heavily-populated Kowloon to Chek Lap Kok. A programme to phase out noisy diesel, steam and pneumatic hammers continued and will be completed in October 1999. And tests were completed on quieter surfaces for low-speed roads and quieter equipment for breaking up concrete on roads.

Community awareness and participation were encouraged through the Green Living Campaign which focused on introducing environmental protection into people's daily lives. A Waste Recycling Competition in Housing Estates was undertaken. Secondary and primary schools were provided with an environmental education pack and programmes for young people were extended to university students and Scouts. There were activities for World Environment Day and the Environmental Protection Festival. Talks and workshops were also organised for various sectors of the community.

Meanwhile, the SAR Government continued to work to put its own house in good environmental order with the announcement that the heads of all departments and bureaux will produce annual environmental reports from the 1999-2000 financial year. Over three hundred government officers have already been trained on how to carry out environmental audits of their departments.