Milestones in Hong Kong Environmental Protection - 2017

2017

Air

  • Continued to review the Air Quality Objectives and launched a public engagement exercise to gather views on possible new measures to improve air quality.
  • Announced tighter emission caps for power plants.
  • Continued to phase out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles. By the end of 2017, 60,200 had been removed from the roads.
  • Supported trials of greener vehicles, including electric buses.
  • Progressively tightened emission standards for first registered vehicles.

 

Noise

  • Resurfaced 73 local road sections with low-noise road surfacing materials as of the end of 2017, benefitting about 132,000 people.
  • Retrofitted noise barriers at 17 existing road sections as of the end of 2017, benefitting about 56,000 people, and commenced noise barrier retrofitting works at two other sections.

 

Water

  • Achieved 100% compliance with the bacteriological Water Quality Objective for bathing waters at the 41 gazetted beaches for the eighth year in a row.
  • Continued with efforts to reduce marine refuse and shore-based waste and clean up blackspots, through the co-ordination of Inter-departmental Working Group on Clean Shorelines.
  • Established the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse and launched a trial of the Notification and Alert System on Marine Refuse.

 

Environmental Assessment & Planning

  • Approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports for new development areas at Yuen Long South and Siu Ho Wan.
  • Provided environmental advice on strategic housing studies in the northern New Territories and North Lantau.
  • Vetted the environmental implications of some 280 funding and policy proposals considered by various key bodies, such as the Executive Council and Legislative Council.
  • Continued professional exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Mainland, as well as the international community, on EIA matters.

 

Environmental Compliance

  • Conducted more than 700 inspections of electronic waste recycling sites, resulting in 88 successful prosecution cases.
  • Inspected more than 700 cargo containers for suspected illegal import or export of hazardous waste and completed 65 prosecutions.
  • By the end of the year, completed installation of surveillance cameras at about 50 construction waste flytipping black spots. The information gathered was used in 69 successful prosecution cases and 23 fixed penalty notices against construction waste fly-tipping.
  • Engaged a contractor to produce a plan for implementing an electronic trip-ticket system for the Clinical Waste Control Scheme, to replace the conventional paper-based one.

 

Waste Reduction and Recycling

  • Announced implementation plans for municipal solid waste (MSW) charging. Around 90 briefing sessions were organised to solicit views from the community and various stakeholders.
  • Continued to provide funding support to non-profit organisations for carrying out Community Involvement Projects to gain experience in MSW charging in different settings. By the end of 2017, more than 50 projects had received a total of about $55 million.
  • Opened new Community Green Stations in Kwun Tong, Yuen Long and Sham Shui Po.
  • Continued to allocate support to the recycling industry through the $1 billion Recycling Fund. From 2015 to the end of 2017, 115 projects were supported with total funding of about $90 million.

 

Producer Responsibility Schemes (PRSs)

  • Completed legislative amendments for the PRS on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), launched the Removal Service Trial Scheme, further engaged the trade in preparation for the implementation of the PRS, and began initial operation of the WEEE Treatment and Recycling Facility (the WEEE·PARK).
  • Awarded glass management contracts for Hong Kong Island (including Islands District) and the New Territories in preparation for the glass beverage container PRS.
  • Commissioned a feasibility study on a new PRS for plastic beverage and personal care product containers.

 

Waste Facilities

  • Awarded the design-build-operate contract for the Integrated Waste Management Facility Phase 1, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2024.
  • Awarded the design-build-operate contract for the Food Waste / Sewage Sludge Anaerobic Codigestion Trial Scheme in 2017.
  • Celebrated the first anniversary of T·PARK, which greatly reduced special waste disposal at landfills. T·PARK also received the highest Platinum Rating in the Provisional Assessment Stage under the BEAM Plus New Buildings (V1.1).
  • Neared completion of the Organic Resources Recovery Centre Phase 1 (O·PARK1) to treat commercial and industrial food waste, as well as the tendering process of Phase 2.

 

Energy

  • Signed the post-2018 Scheme of Control Agreements with the two power companies, which include provisions to promote energy efficiency and conservation and renewable energy.
  • Introduced a legislative amendment for Phase III of the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme to extend coverage to five more types of electrical products.
  • Launched the Energy Saving for All 2017 campaign, which included the new 4T Charter on setting and achieving energy-saving targets; more than 1,000 premises have signed up.
  • Awarded Platinum Awards to more than 3,000 participants who are fulfilling a pledge to switch off external lights from 11pm-7am, and Gold Awards to more than 1,200 who switch off from midnight-7am.

 

Nature Conservation

  • Continued to implement the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2021.
  • Progressed with an exceptional non-in-situ land exchange proposal that will protect the ecologicallysignificant Sha Lo Tung site.
  • Introduced a bill in the Legislative Council to phase out the ivory trade and impose heavier penalties on the illicit trade in endangered species.
  • Celebrated the 40th anniversary of Hong Kong’s country parks.
  • Initiated a study on coral bleaching in Hong Kong waters.

 

Building Partnerships

  • Collaborated with the Hong Kong Construction Association (HKCA) on a practice guide promoting proper disposal of construction and demolition waste from private works projects.
  • Organised forums and seminars to promote best environmental practices in the construction industry with the HKCA, Government departments, Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited and other partners.
  • Conducted 16 environmental building audits for the Quality Building Management Competition organised by Wong Tai Sin District Council.
  • Organised hands-on workshops for the vehicle repair trade demonstrating the use of vehicle refinishing paints that are waterbased and have low volatile organic compounds content.
  • Conducted a seminar on equipment and systems to control cooking fumes for the restaurant trade.
  • Tested alternative forms of worship to ritual burning during the Yu Lan festival.

 

Community Awareness

  • Organised the Clean Recycling Campaign and World Environment Day Zero Carbon Fun Fair to mobilise community support for waste reduction, clean recycling and low carbon living.
  • Provided more than $171 million to support 150 community-initiated projects through the Environment and Conservation Fund.
  • Received 1,674 entries for the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence and Hong Kong Green Innovation Awards and honoured 180 winners from 2016.
  • Welcomed more than 98,000 visitors to the Fanling, Wan Chai and Mobile Environmental Resource Centres, and the Lung Fu Shan Environmental Education Centre. In addition, 288,000 visitors were welcomed in the five Community Green Stations (see Waste Reduction chapter).
  • Enrolled more than 10,200 students in the Schools Environmental Protection Ambassador Scheme and awarded 56 schools with the Hong Kong Green School Award.

 

Sustainable Development

  • Acted on the report from the Council for Sustainable Development on the Public Engagement on Promotion of Sustainable Consumption of Biological Resources.
  • Launched the 13th round of applications under the Sustainable Development Fund.
  • Launched the 2nd round of the Sustainable Development Promotion Award for Students of Higher Education Institutions.

 

Cross-boundary And International Co-operation

  • Released Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+ setting a target to reduce carbon intensity by 65-70% by 2030, using 2005 as the baseline.
  • Established the Hong KongGuangdong Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse and launched a trial of the Notification and Alert System on Marine Refuse.
  • Met with the then Ministry of Environmental Protection (now renamed as the Ministry of Ecology and Environment) to exchange views on the Central Government's coming tighter restrictions on solid waste imports.
  • Signed a Co-operation Agreement for the establishment of a Shenzhen-Hong Kong Office for Marine Emissions Control with Shenzhen authorities, including the Maritime Safety Administration, the then Human Settlements and Environment Commission (now renamed as the Ecology and Environment Bureau), and Transport Commission.