CO129-627-2 Fertilizer factory new territories- contains drawings 1-12-1950 - 31-1-1952 — Page 90

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It could easily be arranged that the nightsoil should fall through a disintegrator into the barge or sump in order to render it into such a condition that it could be withdrawn from the barge at the composting installation by means of a centrifugal pump. Disintegration of the nightsoil will be necessary at some stage before it is used in the corpost, but whether it could be donc at the urban depots without nuisance and whether settlement during the barge voyage would tend to produce a deposit too thick to be pumped, are amongst the points which need further study.

Those facilities could be provided in one installation on each side of the Harbour of sufficient capacity to receive all the night soil pails from Hong Kong and Kowloon respectively, but, in spite of the greater mobility to be derived from motor transport of the pails, which will be a feature of the 2-pail system, it may be difficult to find one sito in cach side of the urban district to which the whole of the nightsoil from that side could conveniently convorge. However, it is probable that two depots, such as I have described, in Hong Kong and two in Kowloon, would be sufficient.

The urban depots for refuse. Before coming to Hong Kong, I had in mind the possibility that sorting of the refuse and pulverisation of the compostable garbage might be done at urban depots, only the pulverised garbage being transported to the composting site, but as a result of my having become acquainted with the local conditions, I am now of the opinion that the crudo refuse should not receive any treatment at the urban depots, but should be taken directly to the composting installation. The refuse horo contains few boxes

and containers such as occupy bulk at the expense of weight in the refuse of towns in Great Britain; there is consequently not so

much to be gained from sorting and pulverization as a means of reducing the bulk to be transported. Inother consideration is that at Tsun Wan space in which the rejected inorganic and otherwise valueless materials removed from the refuse will be usefully accom- modated, will adjoin the installation. Perhaps the most important consideration of all is the desirability that the crude refuse, with its population of flics, etc., should be removed from the town as soon as possible.

All that is required, therefore, at the urban dopots is the transfer of the refuse from the collection vehicles to the barges. This purpose is served by the dustboat stations at present in use.

As I do not have to suggest any alteration in the present dust- boat stations which is essential in order to relate them to the composting project, it is, strictly, not within my terms of reference to remark further about the existing stations. Perhaps I may, however, be allowed to suggest that one way of remedying a fault of the present exposed discharge points, namely, the dispersal of dust and dirt by wind, would be to provide cover and side protection for such points, and that this might best be done by constructing new refuse transfer stations of different design in conjunction with such new nightsoil depots as are to be situated on the water front.

Now dustboat stations might consist of a roadway for the collection vehicles, running over a line of barge moorings and having a longitudinal opening between the wheel tracks of the vehicles, through which the refuse would fall into the barges.

4. The barges, The methods of loading which I have suggested for

nightsoil at waterfront depots and for refuse would require that the bargos should be brought underneath a discharge point or row of discharge points. For economy of construction, the lovel of the

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