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EPD
turns old landfills into usable land
The Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) today (Tuesday) awarded a contract
for turning four old landfills into 40 hectares of usable
land.
The contract covered the design and build of remediation systems
to control landfill gas emission and leachate, and management
of the facilities for up to 30 years until the sites are fully
restored.
After
the remediation works are completed, the sites will be used
for recreational purposes, such as public park and youth camp.
The four
old landfills are Siu Lang Shui Landfill, Ma Tso Lung Landfill,
Ngau Tam Mei Landfill and Gin Drinkers Bay Landfill in the
New Territories.
The contract
was awarded to Swire SITA Waste Services Ltd, a waste management
company jointly owned by Swire Pacific Limited and the French
SITA Group and has considerable experience in building and
operating modern landfills.
Speaking
after the contract signing ceremony, the Assistant Director
of Environmental Protection (Waste Facilities), Mr John Rockey,
said the contractor was required to design and build remediation
works at the old landfill sites to make them safe for recreational
use as well as ensuring that the sites comply with modern
environmental standards.
"Unlike
the modern strategic landfills, these old landfills had little
or no environmental control systems installed during their
operational periods. To clean up the environment and ensure
that the sites are safe, remediation facilities are required
to be installed in these old landfills to control emission
of landfill gas and leachate to current environmental standards,"
he said.
The remediation
works comprise the construction of impermeable caps; landfill
gas management systems for gas extraction and high temperature
flaring facilities; leachate collection and treatment systems
to treat the polluted water before discharging into sewers;
surface drainage systems and landscaping.
Mr Rockey
said a comprehensive programme to monitor the various environmental
parameters would also be carried out.
"After
construction, the same contractor is required to manage the
facilities for up to 30 years until the sites are fully restored."
When the
remediation works at Gin Drinkers Bay Landfill are completed,
the Regional Services Department will develop the land into
a public park with various recreational services, and the
site at Ma Tso Lung Landfill will be developed by Tung Wah
Group of Hospitals into a youth camp with jogging and other
recreational facilities.
For Siu
Lang Shui and Ngau Tam Mei Landfills, no facilities have been
agreed yet, but the land can also be put to recreational use,
he said.
Mr Rockey
said this was the fourth such contract to be awarded.
"EPD
has already completed similar facilities at the Tseung Kwan
O, Urban and Shuen Wan landfills. The final remediation project
will be at Pillar Point Valley Landfill, commencing in 2001,"
he said.
The capital
cost is $334.5 million and the contractor will be paid about
$13 million each year for operating and maintaining the facilities.
End/Tuesday,
June 22, 1999
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