XN000022-1978-12-09 — Page 8

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1978

REFUSE BAL ING PLANT READY FOR TRIAL RUN

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HONG KONG'S FIRST HIGH DENSITY SOLID WASTE BALING PLANT AT SAI TSO WAN IN EAST KOWLOON WILL BE READY FOR TRIAL RUN LATER THIS MONTH.

MR. WONG KWOK-CHOY, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S CIVIL ENGINEERING OFFICE, SAID THAT WORK ON INSTALLING ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT FOR THE PLANT WAS ALMOST COMPLETE.

HE SAID HIGH DENSITY BALING WAS A TREATMENT PROCESS WHEREBY REFUSE WAS COMPACTED IN A HYDRAULIC PRESS TO FORM BALES OF ABOUT 1-1/2 CUBIC METRES IN VOLUME AND 1-1/2 TONNES IN WEIGHT.

THE REFUSE WOULD THEREFORE BE MORE CONVENIENT TO BE TRANSPORTED BY ROAD, RAIL OR SEA TO CONTROLLED TIPPING SITES.

MEANWHILE, WORK IS RACING AHEAD ON THE $47.5 MILLION REFUSE COMPOSTING PLANT IN CHAI WAN.

CONSTRUCTION IS NOW WELL ADVANCED WITH TRIAL RUNS DUE EARLY NEXT YEAR.

MR. IVAN D'SOUZA, SENIOR ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL OFFICE, SAID INSTALLATION OF THE 20-TONNE DIGESTOR MAIN SHAFT FOR THE CHAI WAN PLANT WAS COMPLETED RECENTLY FOLLOWING CAREFUL PLANNING BY THE E AND M OFFICE AND THE JAPANESE CONTRACTOR.

THE FABRICATED STEEL DIGESTOR WHICH HOUSES THE MAIN SHAFT IS 10 METRES IN DIAMETER AND 15 METRES IN HEIGHT. IT CAN ACCOMMODATE 200 TONNES OF REFUSE.

OCCUPYING AN AREA OF ABOUT 9,300 SQUARE METRES ON RECLAIMED LAND, THE PULVER ISING AND COMPOSTING PLANT IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN HONG KONG.

+THE COMPOSTING PROCESS INVOLVES THE TREATMENT OF SOLID WASTE THROUGH GRADUAL DECOMPOSITION INTO HYGIENICALLY SAFE, INERT AND INOFFENSIVE MATERIAL, MR. D'SOUZA SAID.

+THIS METHOD OF WASTE DISPOSAL DOES NOT PRODUCE ANY ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND THE COMPOSTED WASTES MAY BE USED AS INTERMEDIATE AND FINAL COVER MATERIAL IN CONTROLLED TIPPING.*

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

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