Environmentally Sound Waste Management and Facilities

Waste management is at a crisis in Hong Kong. Landfills are filling up more quickly than originally planned. Alternative uses for the large annual loads of construction waste are drying up. And the options for dealing with the problem of waste disposal require hard decisions. Over the next year or two, we will be investigating waste reduction technologies and new landfill sites, and at the same time continue to introduce new recycling programmes. Public consultation will be of great importance as we try to find a more sustainable way to manage Hong Kong's waste.

Photo of waste separation bins

In 2002 we handled 7.7 million tonnes of waste at landfills, including 3.7 million tonnes of construction waste. The total wasteload was up 26% over 2001 largely due to increases in construction waste. Between February and October, inert construction waste had to be diverted to landfills because several reclamation sites, which would normally accept the waste, closed earlier than expected. As a result, construction waste comprised 50% of the total wasteload, up from 40% the previous year. The problem is expected to recur in coming years (see Construction Waste, below).

In addition, EPD facilities dealt with 60 445 tonnes of livestock waste in 2002, 290 000 tonnes of sewage and water treatment sludge and 270 000 tonnes of other special wastes. The Chemical Waste Treatment Facility on Tsing Yi Island treated 52 450 tonnes of chemical waste.

Chart of solid waste disposed of at landfills in 2002


Waste Reduction

One of our main goals is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. The Waste Reduction Framework Plan was published in 1998 to address the problem, with the aim of diverting 40% of municipal solid waste from landfills by 2007, up from 33% at the end of 1998. In 2002 36% of municipal solid waste was being diverted. Compared to other countries, Hong Kong does quite well with recycling. For example, in 2000 the United States recycled only 30% of its waste, while Singapore recycled 40% of waste.

The waste reduction improvements have been achieved through the introduction of recycling programmes throughout Hong Kong since 1998. Prior to then, most recycled waste came from industrial and commercial sources. Recycling programmes have been set up in 1 200 housing estates and all 1 300 primary and secondary schools, as well as hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, the airport and public transport facilities. They are also being extended to villages and older neighbourhoods, thanks to a $100 million injection into the Environment and Conservation Fund for community-based waste prevention and recovery programmes, which was approved by the Legislative Council's Finance Committee in 2002. Also in 2002, producers of mobile phone batteries began to voluntarily take back used products for recycling and supermarkets began taking back clean plastic bags for recycling. Preparations were also underway for a pilot programme to recycle used tyres.

Map of waste facilities in Hong Kong


Construction Waste

Construction and demolition waste has become an urgent problem. The number of reclamation sites to which inert waste could be sent has been drastically reduced. These sites, which were to start operating between 2002 and 2005, have been either put on hold or had their timing altered. Moreover, the quantity of construction waste to be disposed of has gone up. It originally was thought that disposal sites would need to be found for 69 million tonnes of construction waste, but this was revised upward to 73.1 million tonnes in 2002. Sending the waste to landfills would shorten the lives of the landfills by 10 years. Several things therefore are being done to absorb or reduce construction wasteloads:

Since August 2002, Government works departments have been further required to adopt measures to minimise the generation of inert materials and maximise reuse/recycling through appropriate design/construction methods at the design and planning stage of projects.Specifications for waste management plans for government works contractors will be tightened in 2003.


Quarries have agreed to accept an extra 3.7 million tonnes of rocks from government works projects for processing by the end of 2005. A temporary plant for recycling lower-grade material was commissioned at Tuen Mun Area 38 in July 2002.


Temporary fill banks are being opened to store re-usable inert waste. One site opened at Tseung Kwan O in October 2002. Another will open in Tuen Mun in 2003.


Mandatory onsite sorting of waste will be extended from government demolition projects to all government works projects in 2003.


Landfill charges are being prepared for construction and demolition waste in the first phase. The Legislative Council was consulted in May and June and consultations have also been conducted with the industry. The proposal has been held up in the past due to industry opposition, but it is hoped to introduce it in Legislative Council by the end of 2003.

These measures will absorb 66.6 million tonnes of construction waste. That still leaves 6.5 million tonnes that will have no outlet by 2005. The government is exploring all avenues and examining the feasibility of re-using these inert materials in reclamation projects outside Hong Kong.

Between 2002 and 2050, Hong Kong will need landfill capacity of 510 million tonnes. That figure takes into account improved waste recovery and the introduction of waste reduction technologies. The current landfills only have about 110 million tonnes left between them and are expected to be full in 5 to 12 years, depending on the location. It takes about 10 years to build a new landfill, so the EPD is urgently trying to address the issue.

A study on extending the existing landfills was completed in 2002. Several extension schemes have been identified. The public would need to be consulted on the extensions, which could provide another 100 million tonnes of landfill capacity between 2016 and 2040.

Alongside this, the EPD invited Expression of Interest in 2002 on technologies for processing and disposing of municipal waste. Fifty-nine submissions were received from 16 countries or cities. An advisory group comprised almost entirely of non-officials is studying the submissions and will make its recommendations in 2003. The public will be consulted on the best options and likely sites. The tentative dates for consultations on the options for the Integrated Waste Management Facility and for the likely site are early 2004 and mid 2004, respectively. An earlier government study on clean-burning incineration has been completed and it will be incorporated into the consultation if the advisory group recommends this option.

Even with landfill extensions and waste reduction technology, a new landfill is still needed to accept 300 million tonnes of waste. Given the limited availability of land in Hong Kong, the EPD has determined that there is probably only one land option. In addition, an artificial island could be built at sea, with the rubbish disposed of above sea level. The public will be consulted on the options.

Chart of quantity of municipal solid waste disposed of and recovered 1991 to 2002


Other Waste Issues

Tenders were invited in 2002 to build a storage site for low-level radioactive waste on Siu A Chau. The EPD is the works agent for this project, which is being managed by the Department of Health. Construction of the disposal site will be completed in 2004.

Consultations on the control of clinical waste were completed in 2002. These have gone well, with support from all stakeholders. The principle of self-regulation has been agreed to, with the necessary legislation to back it up. The intention is to require all clinical waste producers, from large hospitals to small private clinics, to segregate clinical waste from other waste types and to arrange for it to be delivered to a licensed disposal facility for disposal. A proposal outlining this programme, along with a charging scheme, will be submitted to the Legislative Council in 2003.