THE ENVIRONMENT
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wood (18 per cent). Recycling, especially paper and metals, reduces the amount of wastes requiring disposal.
A project completed by consultants on behalf of the government during the year showed that there are some 40 000 tonnes of toxic, hazardous and difficult wastes in Hong Kong each year. These wastes comprise mainly solvents, alkali and acid sludges, waste oils and hazardous metal oxides. Proposals are being drawn up for their control, treatment and disposal.
In the past decade, agricultural wastes have become a notorious and increasing cause of pollution of streams in the New Territories and, ultimately, of water courses running through the urban areas. A detailed analysis of the methods of disposal of these wastes, and the costs involved, was completed during the year and plans based upon the selected method are being prepared.
Consultation and Collaboration
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The principal consultative forum on environmental matters is the Environmental Protec- tion Advisory Committee (EPCOM) which advises the government on all aspects of pollution in the environment, and in particular ensures that new environmental legislation is appropriate and balances the need for environmental improvement against the require- ment that industry remains viable and competitive.
EPCOM, with an unofficial member as chairman, comprises 13 members, including prominent citizens, representatives of three major industrial organisations - the Chinese Manufacturers' Association, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce - and a representative of the environmental group, the Conservancy Association. Three special committees under EPCOM are concerned with land and water pollution, air pollution and noise. Each committee examines specific areas of pollution control in detail by seeking views from experts and academics, members of the public, industrial organisations and government departments.
EPCOM and its special committees considered a wide variety of subjects during the year, including the overall policy on sewage treatment, environmental aspects of the disposal of pulverised fuel ash from the coal fired power stations, methods to minimise the amount of waste generated in the territory, the control of construction noise, planning against helicopter noise, the Air Pollution Control Bill and subsidiary regulations, and regulations under the Water Pollution and Waste Disposal Ordinances as well as under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. A statutory requirement incorporated in all the new ordinances is that EPCOM be consulted on any proposed regulations, environmental quality objectives and standards. Looking ahead, EPCOM announced during the year that in 1985 it will jointly sponsor with the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers a conference on pollution in the urban environment.
In addition to formal consultation through the EPCOM network, discussions take place with organisations whose members may be the cause of various types of pollution and therefore affected by any steps taken to achieve control. In some instances, industrial organisations have taken the initiative to introduce an element of self-regulation and this has been wholeheartedly encouraged by the government. In particular, the Building Contractors' Association (BCA) launched a self-regulating construction noise control programme in March. Discussions started during the year between the EPA and the BCA on developing a similar programme for the control of dust generated by construction activity.
Another important development in the general area of consultation and collaboration was the establishing of links on environmental matters with the Guangdong Environmental