XN000022-1978-03-27 — Page 5

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 197

NEW MECHANICAL REFUSE COLLECTOR

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THE MARINE DEPARTMENT WILL SOON PLACE AN ORDER FOR A SOPHISTICATED HARBOUR REFUSE COLLECTION CRAFT TO JOIN ITS POLLUTION CONTROL FLEET AT ABERDEEN THIS YEAR.

MR. MICHAEL SEALE, MARINE OFFICER, POLLUTION CONTROL UNIT, SAID THAT THE CRAFT WAS THE LATEST EQUIPMENT IN USE IN MORE THAN 15 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND COULD BE DELIVERED IN NOVEMBER.

THE DEVICE, MANUFACTURED IN BRITAIN AT A COST OF $300,000 CAN SCOOP UP 10 TONS OF FLOATING RUBBISH PER HOUR, AND IT NEEDS ONLY ONE MAN TO OPERATE.

AT PRESENT, EACH HARBOUR SCAVENGING FLEET OF THREE CRAFT IN OPERATION HERE CAN ONLY COLLECT ONE TON OF REFUSE A DAY.

MR. SEALE SAID THE MARINE DEPARTMENT ALSO HAD A FIVE-YEAR PROGRAMME TO IMPROVE THE HARBOUR SCAVENGING SERVICE. UNDER THE PROGRAMME FOUR MORE FLOATING MECHANICAL REFUSE COLLECTORS WILL BE ACQUIRED FOR USE AT YAU MA TEI, CAUSEWAY BAY, CHEUNG CHAU AND TUEN MUN NEW TOWN TYPHOON SHELTERS.

+WHEN THE NEW CRAFT ARE OPERATING BY 1982-83, COST OF SCAVENGING SERVICE WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN LOCAL WATERS MUCH IMPROVED, + MR. SEALE SAID.

APART FROM THE DAILY ANTI-POLLUTION WORK BEING CARRIED OUT IN THE HARBOUR, THE DEPARTMENT ALSO PROVIDES SHIP-TO-SHIP REFUSE COLLECTION SERVICE FOR OCEAN-GOING SHIPS. NEARLY 50 VESSELS, CONSISTING OF MOTORISED CARGO BOATS AND SAMPANS, ARE EMPLOYED IN THIS OPERATION.

THE COST OF CLEANING UP THE HARBOUR IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR IS BUDGETTED AT 32.5 MILLION COMPARED WITH $1.47 MILLION IN 1976-77 FISCAL YEAR. IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR, IT COST $1.98 MILLION TO COLLECT MORE THAN 4,100 TONS OF FLOATING REFUSE.

MR. SEALE ESTIMATED THE COST OF THE CLEANING-UP AND DISPOSING OF THIS REFUSE RANGED FROM $300 TO $800 PER TON.

MR. SEALE SAID THE LARGE QUANTITY OF FLOATING REFUSE IN THE HARBOUR WAS MAINLY CAUSED BY REFUSE BEING WASHED OFF THE LAND INTO THE SEA THROUGH NULLARS AND DRAINAGE OUTLETS, INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THE FLOATING POPULATION AND PASSING VESSELS.

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