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A delegation comprising representatives from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and 26 councillors from the Tuen Mun and Islands District Councils arrived in Tokyo today (September 14) for a four-day study tour to see how advanced incineration technologies for waste and sludge are operated in Japan.
The delegation will first visit the waste treatment facilities including the Waterfront Landfill and the Tobu Sludge Incineration Plant in Tokyo.
Joining the delegation to visit the Shin Koto Incineration Plant in Tokyo on Wednesday morning (September 16), the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, will separately meet one of the key car manufacturers, Nissan Motor Co Ltd, in the afternoon to learn about the latest development of electric vehicles (EVs). Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong in the evening.
Being the biggest waste incineration facility in Tokyo, the Shin Koto Incineration Plant has a capacity to process 1,800 tonnes of waste a day. It uses state-of-the-art technology to prevent air pollution.
The delegation will learn about how a green concept becomes reality during a stop at the Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome which utilises the heat energy from the adjacent Shin Koto Incineration Plant.
During a visit to the Asahi Clean Centre in Kawaguchi City, members of the delegation will have an opportunity to see how a waste incinerator incorporates educational and community facilities under one roof.
On the last day of the tour, the delegation will visit the Maishima waste incineration plant and the Maishima sludge treatment centre in Osaka. Employing advanced incineration technology, both facilities with spectacular outlooks have turned them into famous tourist attractions there.
The delegation will return to Hong Kong on Thursday evening (September 17).
Ends/Monday, September 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:40
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