SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1976
HK'S BIGGEST REFUSE TIP NEARING FULL CAPACITY
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THE GIN DRINKERS BAY CONTROLLED REFUSE TIP AT TSUEN WAN BELIEVED TO BE THE LARGEST OF ITS TYPE IN THE WORLD IS FAST REACHING ITS FULL CAPACITY OF ABOUT THREE MILLION TONS.
ACCORDING TO MR. NG TECH-SHENG, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S DEVELOPMENT AND AIRPORT DIVISION, THE TIP WAS NOW 90 PER CENT FULL AND WAS EXPECTED TO BE CLOSED AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND THE LAND DEVELOPED FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES.
FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS, THE GIN DRINKERS BAY TIP HAS BEEN THE MAJOR DUMPING GROUND FOR REFUSE COLLECTED IN KOWLOON BY BOTH THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND PRIVATE CONTRACTORS.
FROM WEDNESDAY (FEBRUARY 18) ONWARDS, MR. NG SAID, IT WOULD BE GRADUALLY FILLED WITH REFUSE DELIVERED BY USD REFUSE VEHICLES OR THOSE HIRED BY THE USD,
+PRIVATE CONTRACTORS WILL NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO GIN DRINKERS BAY TIP, BUT ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THEM TO DUMP REFUSE AT THE NEW NGAU CHI WAN CONTROLLED TIP NEAR CLEARWATER BAY ROAD, HE SAID.
THE NGAU CHI WAN- TIP CAME INTO OPERATION' TOWARDS THE END OF LAST MONTH AND HAS A CAPACITY OF 600,000 TONS. IT HAS A LIFE EXPECTANCY OF ABOUT TWO YEARS.
AT PRESENT, SOME 2,000 TONNES OF REFUSE ARE DISPOSED OF AT GIN DRINKERS BAY EACH DAY.
MR. NG SAID THE REFUSE WAS SPREAD AND COMPRESSED INTO LAYERS OF ABOUT SEVEN FEET THICK AND COVERED WITH A NINE TO TWELVE-INCH LAYER OF SOFT, INERT SOIL.
+THIS TOPPING OFF PROCEDURE IS CARRIED OUT EVERY DAY AFTER EACH OPERATION SO AS TO PREVENT NOXIOUS SMELLS AND ELIMINATE HEALTH AND FIRE HAZARDS,+ HE SAID.
GIN DRINKERS BAY WAS FIRST SET UP IN 1959 BY THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AS AN OPEN REFUSE DUMP.
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TOOK IT OVER IN 1973 AND TURNED IT INTO A CONTROLLED TIP IN JULY THE SAME YEAR AT A COST OF SLIGHTLY OVER $8 MILLION.
THE TIP COVERS AN AREA OF ABOUT 65 ACRES.'
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