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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
this afternoon to highlighting a very specialized but important message, and one which relates directly to the daily lives of every member of our community and one which I have strived hard in the past few years to share with and to convince the Central Government to resolve the growing and perennial problem of shortage of landfill space in Hong Kong. It is proposed that incineration should be adopted as a supplementary means of disposal of municipal organic waste before landfill.
I shall use the remaining time of my address to explain in greater detail my convictions and findings on this subject.
## Incineration as a Supplementary Means for the Disposal of Municipal Wastes before Landfill
Prior to 1989, both incineration and landfill were used to dispose wastes collected in Hong Kong. In 1989, the Government published its Waste Disposal Plan in which it was decided to phase out all municipal incinerators and to rely mainly on landfills for the disposal of wastes. This decision was made on the grounds that the old-style incinerators caused pollutions and that landfill was more cost-effective than incineration. Whilst the Government's decision in 1989 might not be without basis, I would like to point out that with the advances in modern hi-tech incineration technology, this belief held by the Government has become grossly outdated. I must emphasize that I am not proposing the total replacement of landfill by incineration. I am advocating the use of the incineration method as the initial treatment of municipal wastes before landfilling as this will help reduce the volume of wastes and prolonging the life span of the scarcely available landfill spaces in Hong Kong.
Now let us look at the waste problem in greater magnitude.
### Amount of Wastes Produced in Hong Kong
In 1995, Hong Kong produced an average of 24,000 tonnes of wastes per day, of which about 8,000 tonnes (30–35%) is made up of domestic wastes. A study of the past data indicates that the amount of wastes grows at a steady rate of about 3% per year having regard to Hong Kong's population and economic growth. By 2006, it is estimated that the volume of domestic wastes will be in the region of 13,000 tonnes per day. The Hong Kong Government, which had hitherto assumed that landfill sites provided and to be built would be sufficient to handle the increasing demand, now starts to realize that landfill sites are filled and used up much more quickly than originally expected. In a city like Hong Kong where supply of land is scarce, it is not easy to identify new landfill sites, and exporting wastes to neighbouring areas for disposal will not be economical and meet the approval of the authority in neighbouring countries. Hence, as a long-term solution, there is a practical need for Hong Kong to look at other more viable means for the disposal of municipal wastes before landfilling them.
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