ENG-2006 — Page 354

290 The Environment

The community disposed of about 9 280 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day in 2006. Of this, 6 630 tonnes was domestic waste and 2 650 tonnes was commercial and industrial waste. On average, each person in Hong Kong disposed of about 1.33 kilograms of municipal solid waste daily.

In 2006, it was estimated that the three landfills would be full in five to nine years. Feasibility and environmental impact assessment studies on possible landfill extension schemes were underway.

Hong Kong has 13 old landfills, which have been restored for safety and environmental reasons. Recreational facilities on three of the restored sites have been developed. Plans to develop recreational facilities on seven sites are in progress.

Refuse Transfer Stations

Municipal solid waste is collected and delivered to refuse transfer stations by refuse collection vehicles and containerised and then taken to landfills by sea or land transport. A network of six modern transfer stations and one set of Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities handles 5 581 tonnes of waste every day. About 75 per cent of Hong Kong's domestic waste is delivered via this network to landfills.

Chemical and Special Wastes

All chemical waste producers are required to pack, label and store their chemical wastes correctly before disposal at licensed treatment facilities. A trip ticket system tracks the movement of chemical waste from its origin to the final disposal point.

In 2006, a daily average of 129 tonnes of chemical waste, including waste from sea-going vessels, was treated at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island. A government contractor operates the treatment centre. Waste producers using its services are required to pay part of the treatment cost.

Clinical Waste

Upon upgrading of the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre to the latest European Union emission standards, the Government will make arrangements for the centre to receive clinical waste.

Construction Waste

The construction industry generated about 29 890 tonnes of construction waste every day. Of that, about 86 per cent was suitable for re-use. The construction waste charging scheme was introduced in December 2005 to provide an economic incentive for this. The Government also plans to deliver the inert materials to the Mainland for re-use in reclamation projects in 2007.

Large-scale Waste Treatment Facilities

Hong Kong has to deal with a large volume of non-recyclable waste and needs new state-of-the-art, cost-effective facilities to treat such waste and reduce its volume. A multi-technology approach should be adopted so that wastes of different nature can be dealt with by the most suitable technology. The Government aims to commission the large-scale waste treatment facilities in the mid-2010s. However, even with such facilities, residual waste will still need to be disposed of at landfills.