THE ENVIRONMENT
Landfill gas and leachate investigations covering the existing and completed sites at Tseung Kwan O, Jordan Valley, Ma Yau Tong and Ngau Chi Wan progressed. These investigations will identify solutions to landfill gas and leachate problems, and finalise the requirements for retrofitting necessary pollution control systems and associated landfill restoration works. A gas collection scheme has been installed at Sai Tso Wan Landfill, and data on the characteristics of landfill gas are being collected. It is intended that the completed landfills will be developed for passive recreation purposes after completion of restoration and landscaping work.
Refuse Transfer Stations
A network of refuse transfer stations is being developed as part of the Waste Disposal Strategy. The stations are built to the highest environmental standards and their development enables the government to phase out the poorly-located incinerators currently operating in Hong Kong, eliminating a significant source of air pollution in the urban area.
The first transfer station at Kowloon Bay was commissioned in April 1990 and a contract for the construction and operation of the Island East Refuse Transfer Station at the site of the Chai Wan Composting Plant was awarded in April 1991. The station will pack waste into enclosed containers and utilise purpose-built marine vessels to convey the containerised waste to landfills.
Planning studies have been initiated to develop transfer stations in the western part of Hong Kong Island, the West Kowloon reclamation, Sha Tin and Yuen Long.
Chemical and Special Wastes
It is estimated that about 110 000 tonnes of chemical and special wastes were generated in Hong Kong in 1991. The majority of these wastes are discharged into the environment through sewers and drains without proper treatment. In order to stop indiscriminate disposal of chemical waste, new regulations under the Waste Disposal Ordinance will be introduced in 1992 to exercise 'cradle-to-grave' control.
There is a general lack of adequate treatment facilities for chemical waste in Hong Kong and there are practical difficulties for local industries to provide adequate in-house treatment. The government therefore appointed a contractor in December 1990 to establish and operate an integrated Chemical Waste Treatment Centre, the first of its kind in the region. The specialist contractor is a consortium of local and overseas companies led by a major international waste management company. Construction work for the centre commenced in 1991 and completion is expected by late 1992 and full commissioning by early 1993. A detailed Environmental Impact and Hazard Assessment Study was conducted by the contractor to assess the full impact of the centre on the environment and the nearby residents. Relevant findings of the study have been incorporated into the detailed design.
The Chemical Waste Treatment Centre will serve also as Hong Kong's reception facility under the MARPOL Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and its Protocol) for handling oily and noxious liquid wastes generated from ships. A Pilot MARPOL Waste Collection Scheme has been scheduled for 1992 to assess the practical and logistical problems of collecting oily waste from the many small vessels that use Hong Kong's harbour. The findings of the pilot scheme will facilitate the planning of the future MARPOL waste collection services to be provided by the centre.