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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, on "Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022" after attending a radio programme this morning (May 21):
Reporter: Mr Wong, obviously there are two more contentious components in the waste management plan, one is waste charging and the other is incineration, which, of these, as referred from the callers, are quite a tough sell in today's climate. Which do you think would be a tougher sell for the public? Does the Government mean to educate the public more about the efficiency of the new technologies of incineration plants and waste-to-energy converting plants, which are not as heavily polluting as they may think and are very effective in converting waste to energy?
Secretary for the Environment: In fact, the blueprint is intended to outline that in order to have an environmentally friendly waste management strategy, we need various elements including volume-based waste charging, landfill and waste-to-energy technology. We need all of them. Not only for Hong Kong, but also for other cities that all these are tough issues since it involves impact on the public from various angles. But I think we have to understand that in order to create a culture that promotes waste reduction and recycling, volume-based waste charging will be a very effective means. Based on our previous consultation, the majority of the public are supportive to that. So we are now in a stage to talk with the public about the details of implementation including the level of charge and also what would be the most effective way to charge for different living conditions.
Secondly, about the technology, in fact, worldwide, they no longer use the term "incineration". They use the term "waste-to-energy", because, given the new technology, it is clean and environmentally friendly and can turn waste, which is a kind of resources, into usable material including energy. I think that it is a proven technology. When we go to visit Seoul, Singapore and even Macau, actually the officials are a little bit surprised when they see that Hong Kong is still without any waste-to-energy facility. They said that it is a proven technology and can be located even in downtown areas. In Macau, it is very close to apartments, within less than one kilometre (from apartments); similarly in Seoul and Singapore. So I think it is a proven technology, that people should be feeling comfortable about that.
Reporter: Obviously, Hong Kong people do not feel comfortable. Many Hong Kong people do not feel comfortable about incinerators or the waste-to-energy facilities at this moment. Does the Government need to do a better job in selling this kind of technology?
Secretary for the Environment: As the Government, we have to tell the public about the truth, so we would try various means to share with the public what are the latest technologies of waste-to-energy facilities and what are the normal practices in similar places including Macau, Singapore, Seoul and even Taipei City. With those proven experiences in similar contexts, the public should have higher confidence in all these latest technologies.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:10
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