The Environment 299
The community disposed of 3.28 million tonnes of municipal solid waste in 2011. Of this, about 66 per cent was domestic waste and the remainder was commercial and industrial waste. On average, each person in Hong Kong disposed of about 1.27 kilogrammes of municipal solid waste daily.
It is estimated that the three landfills would be filled to capacity during mid- to late-2010s. Planning work for the extension of all three landfills is under way.
Hong Kong has 13 old landfills, which have been restored for safety and environmental reasons. Recreational facilities have been or will be built on most of the restored sites.
Refuse Transfer Stations
Municipal solid waste is collected and delivered to refuse transfer stations by refuse collection vehicles, containerised and then taken to landfills in buik by sea or land transport. A network of six transfer stations and seven outlying islands transfer facilities handled 1.74 million tonnes of waste in 2011. At present, about 80 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 2011, a daily average of 33 tonnes of chemical waste, including MARPOL Annexes I and II waste from ocean-going vessels, were 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.
Following the commissioning of the Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility at Siu A Chau, most of the low-level radioactive waste generated in Hong Kong has been transferred to the facility for long-term storage. The facility is purpose-built to meet stringent international standards for the safe storage of low-level radioactive waste.
Clinical Waste
To safeguard public health, the Government has implemented the Clinical Waste Control Scheme to ensure that clinical waste is handled and disposed of in an environmentally sound and safe manner. Under the control scheme, clinical waste will be sent to the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) for disposal by high- temperature incineration. The installation of additional facilities at the CWTC, including the upgraded air pollution control system meeting the latest European Union emission standards, was fully commissioned for operation to treat clinical waste in August 2011. This is to tie in with the launch of the regulatory control. Up to the end of 2011, the CWTC received on average 5.5 tonnes of clinical waste each day.
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