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The Environment

anchorages and typhoon shelters. In 2020, it collected nearly 10,600 tonnes of marine refuse and 4,570 tonnes of domestic refuse from vessels.

Shoreline refuse is cleared by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department; and other government bodies.

The Inter-departmental Working Group on Marine Environmental Management coordinates the efforts of different departments in handling marine refuse and marine environmental incidents. In addition, the government leverages community efforts to protect the marine environment through the Clean Shorelines Liaison Platform.

Hong Kong cooperates with Guangdong through a trial notification and alert system on marine refuse. Notifications on any potential surge of marine refuse in Hong Kong, the Pearl River Estuary and its neighbouring waters are issued by the Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel to facilitate follow-up action,

Livestock Waste

The Waste Disposal Ordinance bans the keeping of livestock in new towns and environmentally sensitive areas. Where they are allowed, livestock farms must have proper waste treatment systems. The government provides a free livestock waste collection service, which collected 25,246 tonnes of waste in 2020.

Sewage Treatment and Disposal

The public sewerage system covers the entire urban area and serves over 93 per cent of the whole population. It collects about 2.9 million cubic metres of waste water daily, 96 per cent of which receives chemical or higher levels of treatment before being discharged. The government plans to spend about $23 billion over the next five years on public sewerage infrastructure projects, including sewerage provision to rural villages.

Victoria Harbour and Harbour Area Treatment Scheme

Under the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, all sewage from both sides of Victoria Harbour is intercepted and conveyed through a network of deep tunnels to the Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works for chemical treatment and disinfection before discharge. This has improved the overall water quality in the harbour significantly. The government is implementing more measures to alleviate pollution caused by the discharge of residual pollutants through the storm water systems. These measures include rectifying misconnected sewers, installing dry-weather flow interceptors in some storm water culverts and rehabilitating ageing sewers.

Sewage Disposal in Rural Areas

As at end-2020, more than 14,000 village houses were connected to public sewers. Eligible households can apply for loan and grant schemes to help them connect their buildings to the public sewers.

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