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The Environment
The government's policy is to return low-level radioactive waste to the original suppliers if possible, hence only some of the waste is transferred for long-term storage to the Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility at Siu A Chau, an uninhabited island south-west of Lantau. This facility is purpose-built to meet stringent international standards for the safe storage of low-level radioactive waste.
T⚫Park, a sludge treatment facility in Tuen Mun, employs an advanced treatment process to treat up to 2,000 tonnes per day of sewage sludge generated from sewage treatment. It has waste-to-energy facilities to convert the incineration heat to electricity and export the surplus electricity generated to the public power grid. The plant treated 392,221 tonnes of sewage sludge and exported 2.5 million kWh of electricity in 2018. Its premises, ingeniously designed for environmental education and recreation, attracted 65,840 visitors in 2019.
Construction Waste
A disposal charging scheme provides economic incentives to reduce construction waste, recover and reuse inert materials, and reduce their disposal at landfills. An annual average of 21.5 million tonnes of overall construction waste was generated from 2014 to 2018. The reuse rate was 92 per cent in 2018, having remained at above 90 per cent in recent years.
Marine Refuse
Marine refuse is cleared by the Marine Department; Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; Food and Environmental Hygiene Department; Leisure and Cultural Services Department and other government bodies. The Marine Department deploys about 80 vessels to scavenge for floating refuse and collect domestic refuse from vessels in the anchorages and typhoon shelters. In 2019, it collected nearly 11,006 tonnes of marine refuse from the waters and coastal areas of Hong Kong and 4,572 tonnes of domestic refuse from vessels.
The Inter-departmental Working Group on Marine Environmental Management coordinates collaboration among the departments in handling marine refuse and marine environmental incidents. In addition, a liaison platform maintained by the government leverages community efforts to protect the marine environment. In May and June, the EPD organised and supported over 120 coastal clean-up activities through the liaison platform to celebrate World Oceans Day.
Hong Kong cooperates with Guangdong through a trial notification and alert system on marine refuse. Notifications on any potential surge of marine refuse in Hong Kong, the Pearl River Estuary and its neighbouring waters are issued by the Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel to facilitate follow-up action. In 2019, the two sides organised the first joint coastal clean-up activities to promote the message of keeping shorelines clean and joining hands in protecting the ocean.
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 systems. The government provides a free livestock waste collection service, which collected 24,855 tonnes of waste in 2019.
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