THE ENVIRONMENT
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environment. For safety and environmental reasons, the government is now restoring these landfills. Restoration of five of them is complete. Apart from the Pillar Point Valley landfill, which was closed only in 1997, all the remaining landfills will be restored by end of this century. After full restoration, the sites may be used for community activities.
Refuse Transfer Stations
An important component of the government's waste disposal plan is the development of a network of refuse transfer stations. Waste collected in urban centres is delivered to these stations, where it is compacted into sealed containers for delivery to the three strategic landfills.
Six modern transfer stations and one set of Outlying Island Transfer Facilities handle a total of 4 800 tonnes of waste every day, from the 6.7 million population of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and most of the developed area in the New Territories. This is mostly domestic waste, and represents more than 70 per cent of Hong Kong's total daily domestic waste production. Three transfer stations, at Hong Kong Island East, West Kowloon and North Lantau, have extended their service to private waste collectors.
Chemical and Special Wastes
Each day, some 200 tonnes of chemical waste including waste from sea-going vessels calling at the port of Hong Kong are treated at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) on Tsing Yi Island. A government contractor operates the CWTC, the main treatment facility for chemical waste, recovering part of its running costs by directly charging users. Waste producers have started to adopt clean technologies to minimise their wastes and so to cut their treatment costs. Most of Hong Kong's chemical waste is treated at the CWTC but some solid chemical waste, such as asbestos, is sent to landfills.
To help farmers dispose of their livestock waste properly, a door-to-door livestock waste collection service began in July 1996. A monthly average of about 3 000 tonnes of livestock waste was collected in 1998.
The government plans to develop incineration facilities for the disposal of clinical waste and animal carcasses, and to provide a proper storage facility for low-level radioactive waste.
Monitoring and Investigations
The assessment of progress towards policy goals is one of the EPD's key activities. Its routine monitoring and special investigations form the basis for all the strategic planning, provision of facilities and statutory controls aimed at improving the environment. The department has more than 100 sampling stations in the open sea, enclosed bays and typhoon shelters plus another 82 stations for inland waters. It also keeps 41 bathing beaches under surveillance.
This monitoring began in 1972 and provides a comprehensive record of the chemical, physical and microbiological quality of Hong Kong's waters. All the data are published regularly and can be made available to scientists and engineers on computer disks or printed copies. Members of the public are usually more interested