TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1985
8
REFUSE DISPOSAL FOR ISLANDS SATISFACTORY
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THE DISPOSAL OF REFUSE IN THE ISLANDS, BY TRANSPORTING IT BY BARGES TO THE KWAI CHUNG INCINERATION PLANT OR THE MA YAU TONG CONTROLLED TIP, HAS PROVED A MORE HYGIENIC METHOD OF REFUSE DISPOSAL THAN THE USE OF SMALL LOCAL INCINERATORS.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE) OF THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MR LI TIN-MING, AT THE MEETING TODAY (TUESDAY) OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL,
MR LI SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE ABSENCE OF CONVENIENT DISPOSAL SITES AND TRANSPORTATION CONSTRAINTS, IT HAD BEEN THE PRACTICE FOR DECADES TO DISPOSE OF REFUSE ON THE OUTLYING ISLANDS BY USING SMALL INCINERATORS.
THIS METHOD OF DISPOSAL WAS CONSIDERED HYGIENICALLY ACCEPTABLE AND ECONOMICAL AT A TIME WHEN THE POPULATION ON THESE ISLANDS WAS SMALL AND THE REFUSE YIELD WAS LOW,
+HOWEVER, WITH THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN RECENT YEARS ON SOME OF THE ISLANDS AND THE RESULTANT STEEP RISE IN POPULATION, THE SOARING REFUSE YIELD EXCEEDED THE BURNING CAPACITY OF THE INCINERATORS EVEN IF THEY ARE OPERATED ROUND THE CLOCK. THE SMOKE AND SMELL NUISANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NON-STOP OPERATION OF THESE INCINERATORS SOON LED TO SERIOUS COMPLAINTS FROM THE PUBLIC,+ HE SAID.
+AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF DISPOSAL WAS THEN INTRODUCED ON A TRIAL BASIS AS PART OF THE CLEAN HONG KONG CAMPAIGN IN 1982 BY USING THE BARGING METHOD, HE ADDED.
THIS BROUGHT ABOUT A MARKED IMPROVEMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AS THE QUANTITY OF REFUSE DISPOSED OF BY LOCAL BURNING WAS REDUCED. THE BARGING SYSTEM WAS CONSEQUENTLY EXTENDED TO OTHER ISLANDS.
AS A FURTHER IMPROVEMENT, REFUSE COLLECTED DAILY WAS PUT IN POLYTHENE BAGS BEFORE TRANSFER TO BARGES, REDUCING SMELL AND FLY NUISANCES AT THE TRANSFER STATIONS, MR LI SAID.
+AS A RESULT OF THIS ARRANGEMENT, REFUSE DISPOSAL BY SMALL INCINERATORS AT CHEUNG CHAU, AND MOST PARTS OF PENG CHAU, LAMMA AND SOUTH LANTAU HAS VIRTUALLY STOPPED. NOW, ABOUT 35 TONNES OF SOLID WASTE ARE BARGED OUT DAILY, MR LI SAID,
ONE DRAWBACK HOWEVER, IN REFUSE BARGING WAS THAT IT COULD BE DISRUPTED BY INCLEMENT WEATHER. ONE ALTERNATIVE UNDER CONSIDERATION WAS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MODERN INCINERATOR THAT MET ALL THE STRINGENT SMOKE EMISSION STANDARDS AT MUI WO ON LANTAU.