XN000022-1975-12-01 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1975

PILOT COMPOSTING AND BALING PLANTS TO BE SET UP ******

PLANS ARE IN HAND TO DEVELOP BETTER AND MORE ECONOMICAL METHODS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING AMOUNT OF REFUSE GENERATED BY THE GROWTH OF HONG KONG,

AS A FIRST STEP, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT INTENDS TO SET UP A COMPOSTING PLANT AND A BALING PLANT ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS TO ASSESS THEIR ADAPTABILITY IN HONG KONG.

THE TWO NEW FACILITIES WERE RECOMMENDED BY CONSULTANT ENGINEERS FOLLOWING A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL IN HONG KONG. FUNDS FOR THE TWO PROJECTS, AMOUNTING TO $39 MILLION, HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

A PWD SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS PROPOSED TO SET UP THE COMPOSTING PLANT AT CHAI WAN AND THE BALING PLANT AT SAI TSO VAN IN KOWLOON.

PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS, HE SAID, WERE THAT UNIT COSTS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL BY COMPOSTING AND BALING WERE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN BY INCINERATION, AND WERE SANITARY AND DID NOT CAUSE POLLUTION PROBLEMS.

ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES, HE SAID, THE UNIT COST FOR DISPOSING ONE TON OF SOLID WASTE BY COMPOSTING WOULD BE $27 AND $12 FOR HIGH DENSITY BALING. THESE COMPARE WITH $38 BY INCINERATION.

WORK WILL SHORTLY BEGIN ON THE DESIGN OF THE FIRST STAGE OF THE COMPOSTING PLANT AND CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN. IN EARLY 1977. WHEN COMPLETED, THE PLANT WILL BE ABLE TO TREAT SOME 200 TONS OF REFUSE A DAY.

THE COMPOSTING PROCESS INVOLVES THE TREATMENT OF SOLID WASTE THROUGH GRADUAL DECOMPOSITION INTO HYGIENICALLY SAFE,

INERT AND INOFFENSIVE MATERIAL. THIS METHOD DOES NOT PRODUCE ANY ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND THE COMPOSTED WASTES MAY BE USED AS INTERMEDIATE AND FINAL COVER MATERIAL IN CONTROLLED TIPPING OPERATIONS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

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