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MONDAY, MARCH 30, 1987
POINTING TO THE FACT THAT UK'S EXPORTS OF TEXTILES AND CLOTHING IS LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT IT IMPORTS FROM EEC COUNTRIES, THE REPORT ARGUED THAT IT IS THIS LACK OF COMPETITIVENESS WITH OTHER MEMBER STATES, DESPITE LOWER UK WAGES IN MANY CASES, THAT IS THE INDUSTRIES' MAIN WEAKNESS.
+THE MFA AND THE FOCUS ON TRADE WITH LDCS IS CERTAINLY IRRELEVANT TO THAT PROBLEM AND IN ALL PROBABILITY DISTRACTS FROM PROPER ATTENTION TO IT, THE REVIEW SAID.
LOOKING AHEAD, THE REVIEW SAID THAT FOR MEA IV WHICH RUNS FROM 1987 TC 1991 THE EEC HAS ADOPTED A LESS RESTRICTIVE FOLICY AND HAS GIVEN SOME RECOGNITION TO HONG KONG'S OPEN MARKET.
J
BUT GROWTH RATES FOR HONG KONG'S TEXTILES PRODUCTS ARE STILL LOWER THAN OTHER LDCS +SO IT IS QUESTIONABLE WHETHER THE BALANCE PROVIDED IN THE CRISINAL MEA WILL BE RESTORED.+
CHAI WAN COMPOSTING PLANT TO BE UPGRADED
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT HAS COMMISSIONED A CONSULTANCY STUDY TO CONSIDER THE UPGRADING OF CHAI WAN COMPOSTING PLANT INTO A REFUSE TRANSFER STATION.
THE PRESENT PLANT CONVERTS REFUSE INTO COMPOST, BY A FERMENTATION PROCESS, AND THE PRODUCT PRODUCED AS A SOIL CONDITIONER. THE ODOUR FROM THIS PROCESS, AND FROM THE OPEN BARGE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF THAT PART OF THE WASTE STREAM THAT CANNOT BE COMPOSTED, CAUSES ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.
IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THEREFORE TO CONSIDER OTHER MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUITABLE METHODS OF DISPOSING OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF HONG KONG ISLAND.
CONSULTANTS ARE BEING COMMISSIONED TO ASSIST WITH THIS PROJECT AND THE CONSULTANCY, WHICH WILL COST $2.5 MILLION, WILL CONSIDER WAYS OF UPGRADING THE PRESENT PLANT INTO A REFUSE TRANSFER STATION.
WITH A TRANSFER STATION ON THE CHAI WAN SITE, MUNICIPAL WASTE COLLECTED BY URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT VEHICLES, WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO ENCLOSED CONTAINERS AND TRANSPORTED TO LARGE SANITARY LANDFILL SITES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BY EITHER LARGE BARGE OR BULK ROAD VEHICLES.
THIS METHOD