XN000022-1977-08-18 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1977

HONG KONG TO BUILD FIRST SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW $38 MILLION SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT AT CHAI WAN TO DEAL WITH THE INCREASING AMOUNT OF REFUSE GENERATED BY THE RAPID GROWTH OF HONG KONG.

TENDERS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FOUNDATIONS AND THE SUPERSTRUCTURE FOR HONG KONG'S FIRST PULVERISING AND COMPOSTING PLANT WILL BE INVITED TOMORROW (FRIDAY).

MR. K.C. WONG, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE CONSULTANTS MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF THE P.W.D.'S CIVIL ENGINEERING OFFICE, SAID TODAY THAT WHEN FULLY OPERATIONAL AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THE NEW PLANT WILL INITIALLY BE CAPABLE OF DISPOSING 240 TONNES OF MIXED URBAN REFUSE PER DAY.

THE NEW COMPOSTING PLANT WILL OCCUPY AN AREA OF ABOUT 9,300 SQUARE METRES ON RECLAIMED LAND AT SUN YIP STREET OFF CHAI WAN ROAD.

APART FROM THE STEEL-PILE FOUNDATIONS WORK AND A STEEL FRAME BUILDING SUPERSTRUCTURE, THE CONTRACT IS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A REINFORCED CONCRETE TWO-STOREY ADMINISTRATION OFFICE. WORKSHOP AND STORE BUILDING, AND A STEEL FRAME BUILDING FOR THE COMPOST STOCKING AREA, TOGETHER WITH ANCILLARY ROAD AND DRAINAGE WORKS.

MR. WONG SAID THAT THE NEW PLANT REPRESENTED A MAJOR STEP IN THE P.W.D.'S EFFORTS TO DEVELOP BETTER AND MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE MEANS OF DISPOSING REFUSE.

+THE MECHANISED COMPOSTING PROCESS IS A RELATIVELY NEW SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL WHICH IS BECOMING MORE WIDELY USED IN ADVANCED COUNTRIES AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IS BEING INTRODUCED IN HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.

+ IT WILL SUBSTANTIALLY BOOST OUR PRESENT FACILITIES AND

TOGETHER WITH THE EXISTING INCINERATOR AT KENNEDY TOWN, WILL ÉNABLE

US TO DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH THE ISLAND'S REFUSE UNTIL WELL INTO THE EIGHTIES',+ HE SAID.

AT PRESENT, SOME 760 TONNES OF REFUSE ARE COLLECTED EACH DAY ON HONG KONG ISLAND, OF THIS, 620 TONNES ARE BURNT AT THE KENNEDY TOWN INCINERATOR WHILE THE REST IS DUMPED AS FILL AT P.W.D. CONTROLLED TIPS.

MR. WONG SAID THE COMPOSTING PLANT FORMED PART OF AN OVERALL 10-YEAR SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL PLAN FOR HONG KONG AS RECOMMENDED BY THE P.W.D.'S CONSULTING ENGINEERS, MAUNSELL'S CONSULTANTS ASIA.

/PLANS WERE