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The Environment
level radioactive waste. Most of such waste generated in Hong Kong has been transferred to the facility for long-term storage.
T⚫ Park, a sludge treatment facility at Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun, was launched in May 2016. The facility employs an advanced treatment process to treat up to 2,000 tonnes of sewage sludge per day; it treated a daily average of 907 tonnes in 2015. A waste-to-energy installation converts the incineration heat to electricity and exports the surplus electricity generated to the public power grid. T⚫ Park also has a dedicated design to serve the function of public environmental education, receiving 41,900 visitors between May and end-2016.
Construction Waste
Hong Kong generated 18.8 million to 24.6 million tonnes of overall construction waste annually from 2011 to 2015. The reuse rate was 94 per cent in 2015, having remained at above 90 per cent in recent years.
A disposal charging scheme provides an economic incentive to reduce construction waste, maximise the recovery and reuse of inert materials and minimise their disposal at landfills. The government delivers excess inert materials to the Mainland for reuse in reclamation projects there.
Marine Refuse
Clearing marine refuse, including refuse that has been washed ashore, involves the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and Marine Department. Some of the work is outsourced to service providers. The Marine Department deploys a fleet of about 70 contractors' vessels to collect floating refuse and refuse from vessels. The fleet collected nearly 16,492 tonnes of waste from the marine waters and coastal areas of Hong Kong and 4,404 tonnes of refuse from vessels in 2016. In addition to law enforcement, the government tackles the problem through publicity and education.
An inter-departmental working group on clean shorelines seeks to identify sources of marine refuse, review existing measures, formulate strategic policies to prevent and reduce marine refuse, and promote public awareness of the need to keep Hong Kong's shorelines clean. Departments in the working group are carrying out enhanced measures to improve shoreline cleanliness in the light of findings from a marine refuse study published by the EPD in 2015. The EPD also organises monthly Shorelines Cleanup Days with community groups at different locations.
A Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel aims to foster cross-boundary cooperation in tackling marine refuse. The theme of its campaigns remained 'Protect our coast, leave no trace' in 2016.
Livestock Waste
The Waste Disposal Ordinance bans the keeping of livestock in new towns and environmentally sensitive areas. Where they are allowed, livestock farms must have proper waste treatment
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