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The Environment Bureau today (October 6) moved a resolution to the Legislative Council (LegCo) to defer the commencement date of the Country Parks (Designation) (Consolidation) (Amendment) Order 2010 from November 1, 2010 to January 1, 2012.
The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, said, "There is a clear consensus among the community in maintaining and optimising the proper management of solid waste in Hong Kong. About half of the 18,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated daily in Hong Kong are recycled. Almost all of the remaining 9,000 tonnes go to the landfills. In a city such as Hong Kong where land resources are precious, such a single approach of waste disposal must be changed. Furthermore, the proper management of Hong Kong's municipal solid waste is essential to maintaining our quality of living as well as ensuring Hong Kong's status as a leading international city."
"As the three strategic landfills will be full one after the other starting from 2013, we should make early and full preparation for the present and future waste management in Hong Kong. Only by doing so can we avoid in the long term the indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW); or when a certain landfill is full, having thousands of refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) moving across districts which may put extra pressure on the road traffic and generate exhaust fume emission and noises."
The Government is making preparations for the construction of a large scale sludge treatment facility which will commence operation by 2013. It will have the capacity to treat 2,000 tonnes of sludge daily. Furthermore, in the coming months, the environmental impact assessment of the advanced integrated solid waste management facility will be completed and a site will be selected for this facility which will incorporate the function of waste separation, incineration and turning waste into energy all under one roof. It is expected that the facility will be able to process 3,000 tonnes of MSW per day after its completion in 2016 at the earliest. These facilities will substantially reduce the volume of waste by 90%, and the ash leftover will not have the hygienic and odour problem found in ordinary MSW.
In the course of discussion with the Subcommittee on Country Parks (Designation) (Consolidation) (Amendment) Order 2010 (the Order) during the past months, the Environment Bureau fully appreciates LegCo members' concern over the possible impact the landfill extension might have on the community. The Environment Bureau has accepted LegCo members' suggestions and strengthened the management of the South East New Territories (SENT) landfill, which includes providing free full-body vehicle washing services for RCVs, strengthening the flushing and sweeping of roads nearby, providing overnight parking for RCVs in the landfill, and installing electronic odour detection system (i.e. E-nose) etc. Together with the odour management and control measures implemented earlier, which includes covering non-active tipping areas by impermeable liners and installing more than 20 de-odourisers, these new measures will effectively lessen the odour of the landfill and its vicinity.
Mr Yau noted that certain LegCo members would appreciate the chance to fully assess the effectiveness of the above measures, and hence proposed to defer the commencement date of the Order. After a comprehensive assessment of the project and by tightening the original work schedule, we decided to defer the commencement date to January 1, 2012.
"We will continue to promote waste reduction at source, and will co-operate with the LegCo and different sectors of the community to help solve the municipal solid waste problem in Hong Kong. The Environment Bureau will submit a funding application to the LegCo Finance Committee at an appropriate time and consult the LegCo Panel on Environment Affairs and the relevant District Council," said Mr Yau.
Ends/Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Issued at HKT 23:20
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