MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1977
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CURRENTLY, HE SAID, TWO METHODS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WERE IN USE - INCINERATION AND CONTROLLED TIPPING.
MR. FONG SAID THAT THE KENNEDY TOWN INCINERATOR, THE FIRST ONE BUILT IN HONG KONG, AND THE LAI CHI KOK INCINERATOR HAD A TOTAL CAPACITY OF 1,800 TONNES PER DAY.
+A NEW ONE, THE KWAI CHUNG INCINERATOR, IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. WHEN COMPLETED IN 1979, THE $125 MILLION PLANT WILL HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF 900 TONS A DAY, HE SAID.
+THEREFORE, BY 1979 THE TOTAL CAPACITY OF INCINERATION WILL BE 2,700 TONNES A DAY, LEAVING THE REMAINING 2,000 TONNES FOR CONTROLLED TIPPING.+
ON CONTROLLED TIPPING, MR. FONG SAID, A TOTAL OF FIVE CONTROLLED TIPS WERE AT PRESENT IN OPERATION, THE MAIN ONE BEING AT SAI TSO WAN.
+OF THE TWO METHODS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL BEING USED, INCINERATION IS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE IN TERMS OF VOLUME REDUCTION (10 TO 1), BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS EXPENSIVE AND IS BECOMING LESS POPULAR FROM THE POLLUTION POINT OF VIEW,+ HE SAID.
+ON THE OTHER HAND, CONTROLLED TIPPING IS A PROVEN MEANS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL AND IS BOTH ECONOMICAL AND HYGENIC. +
HOWEVER, DUE TO THE GENERAL SHORTAGE OF LAND AND THE DIFFICULTY IN ACQUIRING SUITABLE SITE FOR CONTROLLED TIPPING, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT OTHER METHODS OF DISPOSAL HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED, MR. FONG SAID.
AMONG THESE METHODS ARE THE HIGH DENSITY BALING AND COMPOSTING, INCLUDING PULVERLISATION.
A COMPOSTING PLANT WITH AN INITIAL CAPACITY OF 240 TONNES HAS BEEN ORDERED AND WILL BE INSTALLED IN CHAI WAN. THE $47 MILLION PLANT IS EXPECTED TO BE IN OPERATION BY 1979.
FOR HIGH DENSITY BALING, A PLANT, WITH A DAILY CAPACITY OF 600 TONNES, HAS BEEN ORDERED.
THE PROJECT, COSTING $15 MILLION, WILL ALSO BE IN OPERATION IN 1979.
MEANWHILE, RESEARCH IS BEING CARRIED OUT BY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ON ANOTHER METHOD KNOWN AS PYROLYSIS.
THIS METHOD CALLS FOR THE CONVERSION OF SOLID WASTE TO A SOURCE OF ENERGY.
HOWEVER, MR. FONG SAID THIS METHOD WAS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND IT WOULD BE SOMETIME BEFORE IT COULD BE ACCEPTED AS A PROVEN METHOD FOR HONG KONG.
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