Chapter 2   Vision and Strategy

1.   Sustainability is central to EPD's work, as reflected in our vision and mission statements. We are the main Government body responsible for protecting the environment and our policies and programmes affect everyone in the community.

Vision

2.   Our Vision is of a Hong Kong which enjoys an environment that is both healthy and pleasant, in which the community places a premium on sustaining such an environment for both themselves and future generations.

3.   Our Mission is to make our contribution towards realising this vision by applying our professional knowledge and judgement and drawing on our experience in environmental protection and conservation

• to formulate policies and plans on environmental protection and conservation;
• to increase community awareness of environmental protection and conservation issues;
• to implement environmental protection legislation and plans; and
• to participate in the town planning process

with a view to achieving and maintaining a high standard of environmental quality and conservation.

Strategy

4.   The EPD's responsibilities are spread across six programme areas - air, environmental assessment and planning, conservation, noise, waste and water (see Chapter 6 - Part A for details). These are implemented through general strategies, described in Table 1, to achieve greater environmental sustainability. We have also implemented measures to control the impacts of our internal operations (see Table 2, as well as fuller details in Chapter 6 - Part B).

Table 1: Environmental impacts of our strategy

STRATEGY	ENVIRONMENTAL RESULT
Contribute to the formulation of major policies and plans within the Government, including town planning.	• Minimise environmental impact of policies, strategies and planning proposals. • Incorporate sustainability in decision-making process.
Develop and implement environmental improvement programmes, monitor environmental quality and handle pollution complaints and incidents.	Achieve direct improvements in: Air quality Noise mitigation Water quality Waste management Nature conservation
Plan and provide waste management facilities.	Ensure waste is handled and disposed of in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner.
Establish regulatory control framework and enforce environmental ordinances.	Reduce air, water, waste and noise impacts from polluting activities.
Build partnerships and engage stakeholders.	Secure better co-operation and build capacity among all sectors in improving the environment.
Deliver environmental education programmes to promote environmental awareness and public participation.	Increase community awareness and support for programmes to enhance our environment.
Support research and professionalism in the environmental disciplines.	Contribute to development of environmental management profession in Hong Kong.

Table 2: Environmental impacts of our operations

Operations and Services	Effects and Environmental Impact		Measures Taken to Contain the Impact
Waste Collection, Transfer and Disposal Services	Discharge of wastewater and leachate	• Pollution of receiving water bodies	Wastewater produced from waste management facilities is collected for treatment on site or at another site equipped with wastewater treatment system to ensure discharge complies with effluent discharge standards.
	Emission of landfill gas	• Potential fire and other hazards to human life	Operating and closed landfills are equipped with landfill gas management and monitoring systems to control potential hazards and risks on-site, as well as to the adjacent areas. Initiatives are also taken to make use of the collected landfill gas both on- and off-site.
	Environmental nuisance	• Noise, odour and visual impact	Noise and odour nuisances are regularly monitored to ensure compliance with internal and statutory standards. Visual impact is assessed during the development stage of facilities. Mitigation measures such as landscaping and visual barriers are provided where appropriate.
	Exhaust emission from on-site treatment facilities, vehicles and vessel fleets	• Air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions	Exhaust emissions from facilities are regularly monitored to ensure compliance with emission standards. A network of transfer facilities is used to reduce round-trips by vehicles. Bulk marine transfer, which can help reduce traffic emissions, is adopted where appropriate.
	Consumption of fuel and electricity	• Air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions	At closed and operating landfills, landfill gas is utilised as a substitute fossil fuel for electricity/heat generation.
Laboratory Services	Exhaust emission from fume cupboards and safety cabinets	• Air pollution impact	Emissions are scrubbed or filtered before release to the atmosphere. Regular monitoring for compliance with required standards.
	Wastewater discharge	• Pollution of receiving water bodies	Provision of buffer tanks to prevent accidental discharge of unsuitable substances into the sewers. Regular monitoring of discharges from sinks for compliance with required standards.
	Accidental chemical spillage	• Potential hazards to human life	Staff are trained to deal with accidental spills. All laboratories are provided with emergency spill kits and procedures for handling chemical spillage/leakage.
	Generation of chemical and biological wastes	• Residual pollution from waste treatment processes	Chemical waste is properly treated and disposed of at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre, and biological waste is disinfected and disposed of in accordance with the World Health Organisation guidelines.
Field Work	Fuel consumption and emissions from vehicles/vessels	• Air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions	Vehicles that run on petrol or LPG are used and follow a non-idling policy. Groups and offices combine trips whenever possible.
	Use of chemicals	• Contamination of soil and water bodies	Only non-toxic dye is used to trace pollution sources.
	Disposal of samples	• Residual pollution from waste treatment processes	Used samples are returned to laboratories for proper disposal.
Office Activities	Consumption of energy and resources (electricity, paper, water, stationery, etc.)	• Air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions • Depletion of resources	• Air-conditioner thermostats are set at a minimum 25.5 degrees Celsius. • The number of departmental vehicles is being reduced and cleaner fuels are being adopted. • Continuous initiatives are introduced to reduce paper consumption. • Wider IT applications are encouraged in terms of documents sharing and electronic submission & approval for purchase. • Energy saving measures and self audits are being conducted to identify areas for improvement in EPD offices and reduce electricity consumption.

Environmental Policy

5.   The EPD has adopted an Environmental Policy that lays out guiding principles for carrying out our services, programmes and internal operations. These principles cover:

• compliance with the letter and spirit of environmental laws;
• pre-emption of environmental problems through planning and prevention;
• preparedness for dealing with emergency environmental incidents;
• minimisation of consumption;
• communication of our goals to our staff and the public; and
• training and professional development of our staff.

Appendix I gives details of the Environmental Policy.