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In response to press enquiries on the public procession against incineration of dioxin-containing residues at the Tsing Yi Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC), a spokesman for the Civil Engineering and Development Department said today (November 21) that incineration has been widely recognised as the safest and most effective method to dispose of dioxin.

The spokesman said both incineration and non-incineration technologies were examined in the Environmental Impact Assessment Study. The former was adopted as the technology with proven reliability to treat dioxin-containing residues in line with international practices.

"Incineration was recommended in the relevant Environmental Impact Assessment Report, endorsed by the Advisory Council on the Environment and approved by the Director of Environmental Protection under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, following extensive public consultation in early 2002," he said.

With state-of-the-art technologies and air pollution control devices, CWTC is fully equipped to decompose dioxin into harmless carbon dioxide and water vapour at a high destruction efficiency of 99.9999%. It can also meet the most stringent international standard for dioxin emissions (i.e. less than 0.1 nanogramme per cubic metre), same as that for the United States, European Union and Japan. Flue gas emitted from the chimney will be subject to vigorous monitoring throughout the incineration process.

A trial incineration exercise will be carried out to ascertain the efficiency of treatment at CWTC. In accordance with the conditions imposed by the Environmental Permit, the test report will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for approval.

"An independent expert assessor, Prof. Jonathan W.C. Wong of Hong Kong Baptist University, has been invited to oversee and verify effectiveness of the incineration process," the spokesman said.

"He will collect air samples during incineration of residues for analysis against a set of stringent alert indicators," the spokesman added.

He said that Kwai Tsing District Council (KTDC) and the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs had been informed of the incineration process.

"We will maintain high transparency in the incineration process and will update KTDC on progress including air monitoring results from time to time," he said.

The spokesman urged the concerned parties to actively participate in monitoring implementation of the incineration process instead of taking drastic actions.

Ends/Sunday, November 21, 2004

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