ENG-2007 — Page 324

272 The Environment

cleaning facilities. A new regulation came into effect on April 1, 2007 to limit the levels of VOC in architectural paints, printing inks and six selected consumer products, as well as to control emissions from certain printing machines.

The APCO also bans the import and sale of the more dangerous types of asbestos, namely amosite and crocidolite. Moreover, anyone intending to remove asbestos must engage registered professionals, and submit asbestos investigation reports and plans to the department.

Power plants are the largest sources of emission. To ensure smooth, timely and transparent compliance with the emission caps imposed on power plants, the Government is amending the APCO to stipulate by legislation the maximum quantity of emission permissible for the power plants and to allow them to use emissions. trading as an alternative means for achieving the emission caps.

In June 2007, the Government commissioned an 18-month study to review Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives and develop a long-term air quality management strategy, having regard to the Air Quality Guidelines recently published by the World Health Organisation and the latest international findings.

Air pollution is a cause of public concern, especially when the emission sources are near homes. In 2007, the department handled some 14 000 complaints of air pollution, of which some 7 900 were about vehicle emissions, and issued about 1 700 legal notices instructing offenders to abate air pollution.

Transport

Vehicle emissions are the major source of air pollution and nuisance experienced at roadsides. The Government's policy is to apply the most stringent motor vehicle fuel and emission standards whenever they are practicable. Between 1999 and 2007, the concentrations of RSP and NOx, the two major air pollutants at roadsides, fell by 15 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.

Hong Kong follows the European Union's standards on emission and fuel. All newly registered vehicles are required to comply with the Euro IV standards, except for newly registered diesel private cars, which must meet emission standards that are even more stringent than the Euro IV standards. Diesel vehicles emit more NOx than petrol vehicles, which is a major contributor to smog.

Nearly all of Hong Kong's taxis are now running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and about 56 per cent of public light buses are fuelled by LPG. To control emissions from older vehicles, the Government has made the installation of emission reduction devices a statutory requirement for all pre-Euro diesel vehicles seeking renewal of their license. This regulation went into force on April 1, 2007. It has also launched two new schemes on the same day, which aim to provide incentives to encourage early replacement of pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles with new ones compliant with the prevailing emission standards (which is the Euro IV standards). The Government also reduced first registration tax to encourage owners of private cars as well to switch to more environmentally friendly ones.