7. Waste Management Implication
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Relevant Legislations, Standards
& Guidelines
7.3 Assessment Methodology
7.4 Waste Generation
7.5 Mitigation Measures
7.6 Residual Impact
7.7 Summary
7.2.1. The following legislation relates
to the handling, treatment and disposal of wastes in Hong Kong and was used in
assessing potential impacts:
·
Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO)
(Cap. 354);
·
Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste)
(General) Regulation (Cap. 354C);
·
Waste Disposal (Charges for
Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation (Cap. 354N);
·
Public Health and Municipal
Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) – Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances
Regulation – control of disposal of general refuse; and
·
Land (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Ordinance (Cap. 28).
7.2.2. Other relevant documents and
guidelines that are applicable to waste management and disposal in Hong Kong
include:
·
Environmental, Transport and
Works Bureau Technical Circular (Works) (ETWB TCW) No. 19/2005, Environmental
Management on Construction Sites;
·
DEVB TCW No. 6/2010 Trip-ticket
System for Disposal of Construction and Demolition Materials;
·
ETWB TCW No. 22/2003A,
Additional Measures to Improve Site Cleanliness and Control Mosquito Breeding
on Construction Sites;
·
ETWB TCW No. 6/2002A, Enhanced
Specification for Site Cleanliness and Tidiness;
·
ETWB TCW No. 33/2002,
Management of Construction and Demolition Material Including Rock;
·
Practice Note for Authorized
Persons and Registered Structural Engineers 243: Construction and Demolition
Waste; and
·
Code of Practice of the
Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Waste, EPD (1992).
Waste
Disposal Ordinance
7.2.3.
The WDO prohibits the
unauthorized disposal of wastes.
Construction waste is defined as any substance, matter or thing that is
generated from construction work and abandoned, whether or not it has been
processed or stockpiled before being abandoned, but does not include any
sludge, screenings or matter removed in or generated from any desludging,
desilting or dredging works. Under the
WDO, wastes can be disposed of only at designated waste disposal facilities.
7.2.4.
Under the WDO, the Chemical
Waste (General) Regulation 1992 provides regulations for chemical waste
control, and administers the possession, storage, collection, transport and
disposal of chemical wastes. The EPD has
also issued a guideline document, the Code of Practice on the Packaging,
Labeling and Storage of Chemical Wastes (1992), which details how contractors
should comply with the regulations on chemical wastes.
7.2.5.
The Hong Kong Government has
introduced charging for the disposal of construction waste at landfills,
construction waste sorting facilities and public fill reception
facilities. Details of the charging
scheme are set out in the Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction
Waste) Regulation. Charging for the
disposal of construction waste started on 20 January 2006. Construction waste producers, such as
construction contractors, renovation contractors or premises owners, prior to
using government waste disposal facilities, need to open a billing account with
the EPD and pay for the construction waste disposal charge.
Public
Health and Municipal Services Ordinance
7.2.6. The Public Cleansing and the
Prevention of Nuisances Regulation provides control on illegal tipping of
wastes on unauthorized (unlicensed) sites.
Construction
and Demolition Materials
7.2.7.
The current policy related to
the disposal of C&D is documented in the Works Branch Technical Circular
No. 2/93, ‘Public Dumps’. C&D
material that is wholly inert, such as public fill, should not be disposed of
at landfill, but taken to public filling areas, which usually form part of
reclamation schemes.
7.2.8.
The Land (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Ordinance requires that dumping licenses be obtained by individuals
or companies who deliver public fill to public filling areas. The CEDD issues the licenses under delegated
powers from the Director of Lands.
7.2.9.
Under the Waste Disposal
(Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation, enacted in January
2006, construction waste delivered to a landfill for disposal must not contain
more than 50% by weight of inert material.
Construction waste delivered to a sorting facility for disposal must
contain more than 50% by weight of inert material, and construction waste
delivered to a public fill reception facility for disposal must consist
entirely of inert material.
7.2.10.
The new ETWB TCW No. 19/2005
“Environmental Management on Construction Sites” includes procedures on waste
management requiring Contractor to reduce the C&D material to be disposed
of during the course of construction.
7.2.11.
Under ETWB TCW No. 19/2005, the
Contractor is required to prepare and implement an Environmental Management
Plan (EMP) and a Waste Management Plan (WMP) becomes part of the EMP.
Chemical
Waste
7.2.13.
The regulation also prescribes
the storage facilities that are to be provided on site, including labeling and
warning signs, and requires the preparation of written procedures and training
to deal with emergencies such as spillages, leakages or accidents arising from
the storage of chemical wastes.
7.3.1. The assessment of waste
management implications has been undertaken in accordance with Annexes 7 and 15
of the TM-EIAO. The assessment will focus on the implications on handling,
storage, collection, transportation and disposal of waste materials generated
by the Project.
7.3.2. The waste management hierarchy is
a concept which shows the desirability of various waste management methods and
comprises the following in order of preference: avoidance; minimization;
recycling/reuse; treatment; and disposal.
7.3.3. All opportunities for reducing
waste generation have been assessed based upon the following factors:
·
avoiding or minimizing waste
generation throughout design, construction and operational phase;
·
adopting better management
practices to promote segregation of materials;
·
reuse and recycling on site or
other projects; and
·
diverting C&D materials to
Public Fill facilities as far as possible.
7.3.4.
The types and quantities of waste
have been estimated and disposal option for each category of waste has been
identified, taking into account the environmental implications of the handling,
collection and disposal of waste material. The potential environmental impacts
associated with the handling, transportation and disposal of waste arising from
the construction works will be assessed with reference to the following
approach:
·
Estimation of the types, timing
and quantities of the waste to be generated and fill to be imported; and
·
Assessment of the potential
environmental impacts on the capacity of waste collection, transfer and
disposal facilities.
7.3.5.
The impact caused by handling
(including stockpiling, labelling, packaging and storage), collection,
transportation and re-use/disposal of waste has been addressed in detail and
appropriate mitigation measures have been proposed. This assessment covers the
following areas: potential hazard, air and odour
emissions, noise, wastewater discharge and public transport
Construction Phase
7.4.1.
The construction activities
include: site clearance, construction of temporary workplaces, channels and
embankments, demolition, excavation of channels, temporary stream diversion (if
necessary) and sheet piling for stream diversion to be carried out for the
Project will result in the generation of a variety of wastes which can be
divided into distinct categories based on their composition and ultimate method
of disposal. No excavation of sediment would be involved. The identified waste
types include:
·
C&D materials (No
excavation of sediment would occur in the project);
·
Chemical wastes; and
·
General refuse.
7.4.2.
The nature of each type of
waste arising and an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts
associated with these wastes are provided below.
Construction and Demolition (C&D) Materials
7.4.3.
With consideration of the size
and extent of works (open-cut section and the excavation of paved roads), and
the fact that the excavated sections will be reinstated upon completion of the
construction activities associated with the Project, it is expected that a
minor amount of C&D materials will be generated, and no sediment would be
anticipated. The C&D materials will likely comprise excavated soil, fill,
excavated rock, concrete and vegetation with top soil
removed during site clearance activities. With consideration of the scale of
the Project, it is anticipated that 37,826 m3 of the C&D
materials will be generated during the construction phase of the Project.
Therefore, a C&D Material Management Plan (C&DMMP) will not be needed
for the Project.
7.4.4.
It is anticipated that there
will be approximately 37,259 m3 of inert C&D material. In order
to minimize C&D materials generation and encourage the proper management of
such materials, the inert C&D materials generated will be reused on site as
far as practicable. It is considered that the surplus inert C&D material
which cannot be reused during the construction of the Project will be needed to
be disposed of at the appropriate public fill reception facilities available at
the time of construction, and a license will be required which is to be issued
by the CEDD. The Public Fill Committee (PFC) in consultation with relevant
Project Department is responsible for identifying suitable sites for public
filling.
7.4.5.
With the reuse of inert C&D
materials on site, the quantity of imported fill required will be minimal.
7.4.6.
Reusable materials (metal,
paper, etc.) should be separated and recycled as far as practicable. Upon
exhaustion of reuse/ recycling effort, 567 m3 of non-inert materials
generated from construction activities will be disposed of at landfill by a
reputable licensed waste collector
7.4.7.
The estimated quantities of
inert and non-inert C&D materials are summarized in Table 7‑1.
Table
7‑1 Estimated Quantity of Construction &
Demolition Materials
|
Location
|
Total
C&D Materials (m3)
|
Inert
C&D Material to be reused (m3)
|
Inert
C&D Material to be disposed of (m3)
|
Total
non-inert C&D Materials
(m3)
|
|
Sung Shan New Village
|
13,180
|
3,631
|
9,352
|
198
|
|
Tai Wo
|
1,684
|
42
|
1,617
|
25
|
|
Lin Fa Tei
|
14,895
|
3,565
|
11,106
|
223
|
|
Ha Che
|
8,067
|
2,577
|
5,369
|
121
|
|
Total
|
37,826
|
9,815
|
27,444
|
567
|
Chemical Waste
7.4.8. It is anticipated that plant and
vehicle maintenance will generate a small amount of chemical waste during the
construction period that will require disposal of. Typically, these include:
·
Solid wastes, such as empty
fuel/lubricant drums, used oil/air filters, scrap batteries; and
·
Liquid wastes, such as, waste
oils/grease, spent solvents/detergents, which may be halogenated, and possibly
spent acid/alkali from battery maintenance.
7.4.10. Chemical wastes arising during
the construction phase may impose environmental, health and safety hazards if
not stored and disposed of properly. The potential hazards include:
·
Toxic effects on the workforce;
·
Fire hazards; and
·
Adverse impacts on water
quality and aquatic biota from spills.
7.4.11. The Contractor shall register as a Chemical Waste Producer (CWP).
Chemical waste arising should be properly collected and stored with the Code of
Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes. The
chemical waste should be collected by licensed chemical waste collector for
further disposal in Chemical Waste Treatment Centre or other licensed chemical
waste treatment/disposal facilities. Provided that the handling, storage,
transported and disposal of in an appropriate manner, adverse impacts with
chemical waste would not be anticipated
General Refuse
7.4.12. The construction workforce will
generate a small amount of refuse such as waste paper,
plastic packaging and possibly food wastes. Such refuse will be collected
on-site, separately from C&D material by an appropriate waste collector
employed by the Contractor. It is expected that there will be no kitchen
provided on-site.
7.4.13. Prior to disposal off-site, such
wastes will have to be temporarily put in a suitably covered storage area where
it will have to be regularly cleaned and maintained to avoid attracting vermin
and pests. Effective collection and removal of site wastes will be required to
prevent waste materials being blown around by wind, flushed or leached into the
aquatic environment, and to prevent odour nuisance.
With proper on-site handling and storage as well as regular disposal of these
wastes, no adverse impacts are anticipated.
7.4.14. The number of construction workers to be employed for this Project
is expected to be approximately 100 people per day during construction phase.
Based on a generation rate of 0.65 kg per worker per day, the maximum daily
arising of general refuse during the construction period would be approximately
65 kg.
Waste Disposal Recommendations
7.4.15. Based on the estimated quantities
and types of waste expected to be generated by this Project during the
construction phase, the disposal options have been proposed and given in Table 7‑2. In terms of the disposal of
general refuse, disposal at West New Territories (WENT) Landfill or other designated landfill is recommended. In terms of inert
C&D and non-inert C&D material, 27,444 m3 of inert C&D
material will be disposal of Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill
Bank or other public fill reception facilities for reuse in other
project. 567 m3 of non-inert C&D material will be disposed of
WENT landfill or other landfills. Final disposal outlet subject to final
agreement with Public Fill Committee (PFC) of CEDD for public fill reception
facilities and EPD for landfills. Chemical wastes will be disposed of at the
Chemical Waste Treatment Centre in Tsing Yi or other licensed
treatment/disposal facilities via licensed collectors.
Table 7‑2 Recommended Waste Disposal Sites
|
Type of Waste
|
Disposal
Site
|
Quantity
to be Disposed
|
|
Non-inert C&D materials
|
WENT
landfill or other landfill
|
567
m3
|
|
Inert C&D materials
|
Tuen Mun Area 38
Fill Bank or other public fill reception facilities
|
27,444 m3
|
|
Chemical waste
|
Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre in Tsing Yi or other licensed facilities via licensed
collector
|
Less
than 200L per month
|
|
General refuse
|
WENT
landfill or other landfill
|
approximately
65 kg per day
|
Transportation Arrangement for Waste Disposal during
Construction Phase
7.4.16. It is anticipated that no
stockpile areas, barging points or conveyor systems will be established in the
Project area. Inert C&D material, non-inert C&D material, general
refuse and chemical waste is expected to be carried by land transport to the
disposal outlets. The tentative transportation routings for the disposal of
each waste type generated during the construction phase are shown in Table 7‑3. The transportation routings may
change subject to the actual traffic conditions of the roads.
7.4.17. The following mitigation measures
should be implemented for the transportation of waste:
·
Proper wheel washing before
leaving the site;
·
Use of water
tight containers;
·
Use of dump truck cover; and
·
Use of licensed chemical waste
collector (for chemical waste).
7.4.18. With the implementation of
appropriate mitigation measures, no adverse environmental impacts are expected
due to the transportation of waste.
Table 7‑3 Tentative
Transportation Routings for Waste Disposal During Construction Phase
|
Type of Waste
|
Tentative
Disposal Outlet
|
Frequency
|
Tentative
Transportation Routing
|
|
Non-inert C&D materials and General
Refuse
|
WENT
landfill
|
Average
of 2 trips of truck per day
|
Via
Fan Kam Road, Kam Tin Road, Yuen Long Highway, Tuen
Mun Road, Wong Chu Road, Lung Fu Road, Lung Mun Road, Lung Kwu Tan Road, Nim Wan Road.
|
|
Inert C&D materials
|
Tuen Mun Area 38
Fill Bank
|
Average
of 6 trips of truck per day
|
Via
Fan Kam Road, Kam Tin Road, Yuen Long Highway, Tuen
Mun Road, Wong Chu Road, Lung Fu Road, Lung Mun Road
|
|
Chemical waste
|
Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre in Tsing Yi
|
Approximately
1 trip every 2 months
|
Via
Fan Kam Road, Kam Tin Road, Route Twisk, Texaco
Road, Tsuen Wan Road, Kwai Tsing Road and Tsing Yi
Road
|
7.4.19. In view of the estimated number of dump trucks arising from the
transportation of waste, the impacts arising from increasing traffic loading on
the public road would be insignificant.
Operational Phase
7.4.20. During the operational phase of the Project, general refuse and debris
may be generated from drainage channel maintenance. They should be removed on
the same day of maintenance. No maintenance
dredging work would be involved. Provided the waste generated from the
maintenance works are disposed of properly, no mitigation measures are
required.
Construction Phase
·
An on-site environmental
coordinator employed by the Contractor should be identified prior to the outset
of the work. Prior to commencement of
Project, the environmental coordinator shall prepare a WMP in accordance with
the requirements set out in the ETWB TCW No. 19/2005, Waste Management on Construction Sites, for the Engineer
Representative’s approval. The WMP shall
include monthly and yearly Waste Flow Tables (WFT) that indicate the amounts of
waste generated, recycled and disposed of (including final disposal location),
and which should be regularly updated;
·
The Contractor’s waste
management practices and effectiveness should also be audited by the Engineer
on a regular basis;
·
The reuse/recycling of all
materials on site should be investigated and exhausted prior to
treatment/disposal off-site;
·
Good site practices should be
adopted from the commencement of works to avoid the generation of waste, reduce
cross contamination of waste and to promote waste minimization;
·
All waste materials should be
sorted on-site into inert and non-inert C&D materials, and where the
materials can be recycled or reused, they should be further segregated. Inert material, or public fill will comprise
stone, rock, masonry, brick, concrete and soil which is suitable for land
reclamation and site formation whilst non-inert materials include all other
wastes generated from the construction process such as plastic packaging and
vegetation;
·
The Contractor should be
responsible for identifying what materials can be recycled / reused, whether
on-site or off-site. In the event of the
latter, the Contractor should make arrangements for the collection of the
recyclable materials. Any remaining
non-inert waste should be collected and disposed of to the landfill as last
resort whilst any inert C&D materials should be re-used on site as far as
possible. The surplus inert materials
found on-site can be delivered to a public fill reception facility for disposal
after obtaining the appropriate license;
·
In order to monitor the
disposal of C&D materials and solid waste at public fill reception
facilities and landfills, and to control fly-tipping, a trip ticket system
shall be implemented by the Contractor, in accordance with the contract and the
requirements of Works Bureau Technical Circular 6/2010 “Trip Ticket System for Disposal of Construction and Demolition Material”;
·
Under the Waste Disposal
(Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation, the Contractor shall register as a
Chemical Waste Producer (CWP) if chemical wastes such as spent lubricants,
paints, etc. are generated onsite. Only
licensed chemical waste collectors shall be employed to collect any chemical
waste generated onsite. The handling,
storage, transportation and disposal of chemical wastes shall be conducted in
accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of
Chemical Wastes and A Guide to the Chemical Waste Control Scheme both published
by the EPD;
·
A sufficient number of covered
bins should be provided onsite for the containment of general refuse to prevent
leakage of leachate, visual impacts and odour
nuisance to the sensitive surroundings.
These bins should be cleared daily, and the collected waste disposed of
to the nearest refuse transfer station.
Further to the issue of DEVB TCW No. 8/2010, Enhanced Specification
for Site Cleanliness and Tidiness, the Contractor is required to maintain a
clean and hygienic site throughout the Project;
·
Minimize windblown litter and
dust during transportation by either fitting trucks with mechanical covers or
transporting waste in enclosed containers.
·
All chemical toilets, if any,
should be regularly cleaned and the night-soil collected and transported by a
licensed contractor to a Government Sewage Treatment Works facility for
disposal;
·
Toolbox talks should be
provided to workers about the concepts of site cleanliness and appropriate
waste management procedures, including waste reduction, reuse and recycling; and
·
The Contractor shall comply
with all relevant statutory requirements and Guidelines and their updated
versions that may be issued during the course of the construction.
Waste Reduction Measure
7.5.2.
Good management and control can
prevent the generation of a significant amount of waste. Waste reduction is the
best achieved at the planning and design stage, as well as by ensuring the
implementation of good site practices. Recommendations to achieve waste
reduction include:
·
Segregation and storage of
different types of waste in different containers, skips or stockpiles to
enhance reuse or recycling of materials and their proper disposal.
·
Encourage collection of
aluminum cans, PET bottles and paper by providing separate labelled bins to
enable these wastes to be segregated from other general refuse generated by the
workforce.
·
Use of reusable non-timber
formwork to reduce the amount of C&D material.
Prior to disposal of C&D waste, it is recommended that wood, steel and
other metal shall be separated for re-use and/or recycling to minimize the
quantity of waste to be disposal of to landfill.
·
Proper storage and site
practice to minimize the potential for damage a contamination of construction
materials.
·
Plan and stock construction
materials carefully to minimize amount of waste generated and avoid unnecessary
generation of waste.
Operation Phase
7.5.3.
No mitigation measures will be
required as there would be no adverse impacts.
7.6.1. No residual impact
for waste management implication is anticipated.