The Environment 283
The EPD also works with the construction, catering, and vehicle repair industries, the property management sector and other trades to promote good practices and compliance with environmental regulations.
The EPD runs a Compliance Assistance Centre where businesses may obtain updated information and advice on environmental compliance, pollution prevention and environmental management.
Air Pollution
Like most modern cities, Hong Kong's air is affected by pollutants emitted from a multitude of sectors, including transport, power generating and construction. The Government has been implementing various measures to improve air quality. Between 1990 and 2009, emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), respirable suspended particulates (RSP) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) have dropped by 51 per cent to 64 per cent.
The EPD operates a range of controls under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) and its subsidiary regulations, including licensing of some large industrial facilities and specific controls on fuel quality, furnace and chimney installations, dark. smoke emissions, open burning, dust emissions from construction works, emissions from petrol filling stations, perchloroethylene emissions from dry-cleaning facilities, and VOC emissions from printing machines and the levels of VOC in selected products. In 2009, the regulation limiting the content of VOC in products was amended to extend its control in phases starting from January 1, 2010 to vehicle refinishing paints/coatings, vessel and pleasure craft paints/coatings, adhesives, and sealants.
The APCO also bans the import and sale of the more dangerous types of asbestos, 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 implementation of the emission caps imposed on power plants, the APCO was amended in 2008 to give statutory effect to the emission caps for power plants in 2010 and beyond. To improve further the local and regional air quality, we have issued the Second Technical Memorandum to tighten further the emission caps of the power sector for 2015 and beyond by 34 per cent to 50 per cent from the 2010 levels.
The Government is also actively considering the best way to update Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) in light of the responses of the public consultation. In parallel, the Government is pursuing those improvement measures that have garnered community support with the aim of achieving early improvement to the quality.
Air pollution is a cause of public concern, especially when the emission sources are near homes. In 2010, the department handled some 11 000 complaints of air
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