ENG-2003 — Page 353

THE ENVIRONMENT

Chemical and Special Wastes

Comprehensive controls on the handling and disposal of chemical waste have been in place since 1993. The former widespread malpractice of dumping chemical waste into sewers and surface waters has stopped. All chemical waste producers are required to properly pack, label and store their chemical wastes before disposal at proper treatment facilities. A trip ticket system - involving the waste producers, licensed collectors and licensed disposal points tracks the movement of chemical waste from its origin to the final disposal point.

In 2003, a daily average of 117 tonnes of chemical waste, including waste from sea- going vessels, was treated at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island, the main treatment facility for chemical waste. A government contractor operates the treatment centre. Waste producers using its services are required to pay part of the

treatment cost.

Clinical Waste

In recognition of the public health risks associated with the improper handling of clinical waste generated by health-care activities, the Government plans to implement legal controls on the handling, collection and disposal of this type of waste. The Government also proposes to modify the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre so that it can receive clinical waste for proper treatment, replacing the current practice of disposing of untreated clinical waste at landfills. The health-care sectors and other related parties have been consulted and they generally supported the proposal. The Waste Disposal (Amendment) Bill 2003, providing for the control of clinical waste, was introduced into the Legislative Council in June. Subject to the passage of the bill and related subsidiary legislation, the Government intends to implement the controls in 2005.

Large-scale Waste Treatment Facilities

No matter how effective it is in dealing with waste prevention and recycling, Hong Kong still has to deal with a large volume of non-recyclable waste. New facilities to treat waste and reduce its volume will have to be put in place. Such facilities would need to meet the highest international environmental standards and be cost-effective. In April 2002, the Government invited the local and international waste management industries to express their interest in proposing latest technologies for the development of large-scale waste treatment facilities in Hong Kong. An Advisory Group, comprising mainly non-officials, is now considering various waste management technologies and options that are potentially suitable to Hong Kong. However, even with such large-scale waste treatment facilities, there are residual wastes that must be handled safely. Hence, Hong Kong will continue to require landfills for final disposal of waste.

Import and Export of Waste

Controls on the import and export of waste under the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO) came into operation on September 1, 1996. A ban on the importation of hazardous waste from developed countries (mainly of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union) was introduced on December 28, 1998. The controls are in line with the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

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