1.       The EPD manages its environmental impacts through the Departmental Environment, Safety and Health Committee (DESHC) (see Chapter 3 for details). We have two kinds of impacts. One arises from our office work and concerns mainly paper and electricity consumption and the use of recyclables. The other arises from our waste facilities, laboratories and other field work, where the impacts are more complex and require special controls.

2.       A map and photos of our offices and facilities can be seen in Appendix II.

4.       In 2005, we achieved about 1.8% saving in energy consumption in our offices. This was attributable to growing awareness of energy conservation among staff, as well as initiatives such as adjustments to office lighting hours, the installation of electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps and modification of office lighting zones. The EPD will continue to pursue other energy saving measures, such as conducting energy audits of some of our offices, with a view to further reduce energy consumption.

5.       The Departmental Environment, Safety and Health Committee will continue to provide stewardship on energy conservation and efficiency at senior management level. Energy wardens have been appointed for all EPD offices to actively check and remind colleagues about measures to achieve energy conservation at working level. We are strictly adhering to the Government's directive that the room temperature of government offices is maintained at 25.5 degree Celsius during summer months.

6.       The EPD seeks to minimise waste by reducing consumption, re-using goods and recycling. We have reduced consumption of disposable batteries, new fluorescent pens and new ink/toner cartridges. In addition, recycling rates for paper and laser cartridges have increased. In 2005 we streamlined the arrangements for collecting recyclables in some offices to improve recycling rates. We also continued to provide convenient collection channels in our branch offices to collect recyclables. We actively liaise with environmental contractors to collect, recycle and reuse our wastes.

7.       The EPD participates in the voluntary Indoor Air Quality Certification Scheme. By the end of 2005 one EPD premise was certified "Excellent Class" and nine were "Good Class" as shown below. We will extend the scheme to all our offices in 2006.

8.       All offices had undergone a self-audit exercise by the end of 2005 to check and review the current green, safety and health aspects of the working environment, and to identify possible and potential enhancement areas.

9.       The EPD has a fleet of 51 vehicles, which are all powered either by petrol or liquefied petroleum gas. We have a non-idling policy and we combine trips to reduce air emissions and fuel consumption.

10.      The EPD operates 26 waste facilities of which the Kowloon Bay Transfer Station (KBTS) has been temporarily closed since April 2005 (see Appendix II). All waste facilities are subject to a range of legal, contractual and technical controls. In 2005 we received 86 complaint cases against our waste facilities, mainly on mal-odour, dust from traffic, water ponding and fly nuisance. All were thoroughly investigated and remedial action has been instigated. None of our waste management contractors was prosecuted for environmental offences.

Other issues at our facilities include:

	(i)	Landfill gas, which we recover. In 2005 an average 576 000 cubic metres of landfill gas was collected daily, 48% of which was used to meet nearly all on-site energy needs. In 2004 the EPD signed an agreement with the North East New Territories Landfill contractor to allow landfill gas to be sold to public utilities operators and the gas export scheme is scheduled for commissioning in mid-2006. In 2005, landfill gas equivalent to a total of 78 700 Mega-joules from the restored Shuen Wan Landfill was used for the production of Towngas.
	(ii)	Construction waste is sorted at the South East New Territories (SENT) Landfill. In 2005, about 22 500 tonnes of construction waste was processed there each month (see Chapter 5 for details).
	(iii)	Chemical waste is treated at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) on Tsing Yi Island. The CWTC is equipped with a wide range of pollution controls to ensure emissions from incineration and other processes are safe. The ambient air around the CWTC is monitored twice yearly and dioxins measured monthly. The results are lower than or comparable to levels observed in other large developed cities. All process residues, including incineration ash, are chemically treated and confirmed by analysis to be stable before being taken to the South East New Territories Landfill for final disposal. In addition, 5 009 tonnes of oil and 416 tonnes of copper oxide were recovered by the CWTC in 2005.

11.      The EPD operates air, water sciences and microbiology laboratories. In 2005 they fully complied with legal requirements and statutory licence conditions. Special attention is paid to emissions from fume cupboards and safety cabinets and discharges from sinks, which are treated as required.

12.      Chemical waste from laboratories are collected and treated by the CWTC contractor. Biological waste is disinfected and disposed of in accordance with World Health Organisation guidelines. A licensed collector delivers asbestos samples from the air laboratory to the Southeast New Territories landfill for disposal.

13.      Environmental audits of the EPD's laboratories are carried out regularly by laboratory staff.

14.      Only non-toxic dye is used to trace pollution sources, to minimise the environmental impacts of investigations. Field samples are sent to the Government Laboratory and EPD's laboratories for appropriate action. Safety guidelines are issued to all field staff who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials.

15.      The EPD has internal emergency response plans for its facilities. In 2005, five emergency drills were carried out at the CWTC. The CWTC contractor is also required to conduct at least one drill for marine incidents each year. No incidents were reported in EPD's laboratories or other facilities in 2005.

16.      Our Environmental Infrastructure Division (the former Waste Facilities Business Unit) has obtained ISO 14001 certification since 2000. Conversion to ISO 14001:2004 was completed in November 2005. The division also requires contractors of new waste management facilities to obtain ISO 14001 certification. Existing facilities have also been certified, including five refuse transfer stations, two landfills, 12 restored landfills and the Sha Ling Composting Plant.