Planning for a Better Environment

Prevention and Mitigation through Environmental Impact Assessment
Better Air Qualit
Quieter Environment
Better Water Quality
Environmentally Sound Waste Management and Facilities

Environmentally Sound Waste Management and Facilities

WASTE MANAGEMENT continues to be our major challenge. While we aim to provide an environmentally sound and sustainable system for managing waste, we must deal with ever-increasing loads of waste. In 2000 we handled 6.6 million tonnes of waste at landfills including 2.7 million tonnes of construction waste. We also manage livestock and chemical waste, sewage and water treatment sludge and other difficult wastes.

Landfill space will run out within 10 to 15 years and we are trying to reduce waste loads and identify sites for new waste facilities. The Waste Reduction Framework Plan, published in 1998, is our strategy to divert 60% of municipal solid waste away from landfills over the next decade. By the end of 2000 waste separation bins were in place at more than 700 housing estates, and seven short-term tenancies had been arranged for recyclers, including four in 2000. The DEMOS scheme was introduced during the year to provide grants to companies and organisations that try out new waste minimisation and recycling technologies. The Buildings Ordinance was amended in November 2000 requiring all new buildings to provide space for waste separation and recycling. We issued testing guidelines for the degradability and food safety of containers and bags. In 2001 we will be working on development of the Waste Management Plan for 2002-2021.

Chart of Solid waste disposal in 2000
Map of Waste Facilities in Hong Kong

We continued to look for solutions to the problem of construction and demolition waste, which comes to landfills if other uses such as public filling areas are not available. In addition to the Construction Waste Recycling Facility at SENT Landfill, a temporary sorting site was set up at Tseung Kwan O by the Civil Engineering Department to recover inert material from mixed construction and demolition waste for beneficial reuse. The Highways Department will conduct a trial using recycled aggregate to pave a section of the Tolo Highway. We promoted waste management planning, on-site sorting of waste and the use of new technologies which create less waste. We are also consulting on landfill charges for non-household waste as a tool to reduce wasteloads.

Waste facilities, especially landfills, are under great pressure and in 2000 we commissioned a study to search for new waste disposal sites and identify ways of extending the existing landfills. We will also complete a study on bulk waste reduction facilities in 2001, which would help to reduce the bulk of wasteloads by up to 90 per cent. Other technical means of reducing wasteloads are being considered and in 2001 we will put to open tender an organic waste composting facility at Ngau Tam Mei.

Chart of Restoration of substandard old landfills will be completed by 2004
Chart of Quantity of municipal solid waste disposed of and recovered 1986 - 2000

On the movement of waste, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Environmental Protection Administration to control shipments of hazardous waste in accordance with the Basel Convention. Hong Kong has adhered to the convention since 1996 and our efforts were recognised when the Secretariat of the Basel Convention organised its first regional training seminar in the SAR in December 2000.

Dredged sediment is a waste issue and in April 2000 we introduced the requirement for a biological test to determine the toxicity of sediment, in addition to a heavy metal test already being used, to bring Hong Kong in line with international standards. We also banned the dumping of locally-dredged toxic sediment outside of Hong Kong waters, unless the contractor can prove it will be handled in an environmentally-acceptable way.