WASTE MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG

Landfills in HK HK’s landfills will reach capacity in 7 years. Their life-span will be shorter if --recovery rate of waste slows down --& outlets for construction & demolition materials are not found

Construction waste in HK 80% of the construction waste was used to fill in reclamation sites However recently reclamation projects slow down

Construction waste in HK In 2002, about 3.7million tonnes of construction waste was dumped in landfills Construction waste made up 48% of the total waste intake

Construction waste in HK To encourage re-use & recycling of such materials, the gov’t plans to implement $125-per-tonne landfill charge for construction & demolition materials Export construction waste to Mainland China

Exporting construction waste to Mainland China The Basel Convention restricts all forms of cross-border waste transfer unless it is agreed by the exporting and importing parties. HK is to sign a formal agreement on waste exports with the Mainland

Exporting construction waste to Mainland China With the permit issued, city’s contractors can arrange their own deals with the mainland authority on dumping sites, pricing and quotas. Under the terms of the deal, construction waste must be used in reclamation projects.

Municipal waste in HK HK produces 507 kg of municipal waste per capita from domestic, commercial and industrial sectors each year. HK only recycles 8% of its waste, (Germany: 32%, Canada: 47%, Australia: 48%)

Plastic waste in HK HK dumps >520,000 tonnes of plastic in landfills HK exports industrial plastic waste worth $280million each year

Plastic waste in HK There is absence of a local processing plant for plastic waste

Uses of plastic waste It can be processed into plastic pellets for making “plastic wood” furniture & playground equipment e.g. rubber mats and synthetic surfaces for playgrounds & recreational areas.

Uses of plastic waste 1000 plastic bottles is used to make one recyclable plastic wood garden bench.

Construction waste in HK After 2 years of research, they have succeeded to convert construction waste into bricks. The bricks can be used for road pavement and room partition in the buildings.

Construction waste in HK Some chemicals will be put on the surface of the brick which will help to convert the air pollutants to not harmful elements. With the use of these bricks, it can reduce the amount of construction waste

Construction waste in HK It will extend the life-span of landfill sites

Problems of setting up recycling industries in HK 1.High cost of land 2.Short-term leases

Recycling industries in HK Need support from the government by providing --land: sell them at a low price or rent it to them at low cost + long-term leases --setting up a policy that would require producers to collect (packaging) waste from their products

Recycling industries in HK Gov’t said that they are going to provide short-term leases to the recycling industries at industrial estates at lower rentals Also they will provide space to build a recovery park at Tuen Mun.

Waste Recovery Park in Tuen Mun Built on 20 hectares of reclaimed land near the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal 2 phases of development, with the 1 st to be completed in 2005.

Waste Recovery Park in Tuen Mun The gov’t hopes it will handle up to 648,000 tonnes of waste a year.

However Mainland has already started building the country’s largest waste-recycling project in Nanhai, 25km. SW of Guangzhou  this may lead to competition.

Recycling industries in HK Other gov’t support include landfill charges & the adoption of a “polluter pays” principle (3 landfills cost $400m. to operate) Gov’t propose $125-per-tonne landfill charge to the construction & demolition waste

Incineration in Hong Kong

Incineration in HK Green Island Cement is proposing a waste-to-cement burning facility in its production plant in Tuen Mun. It is using the burned residue of waste to make cement

Incineration in HK Objections:  Incineration is the source of serious toxic pollutants e.g. dioxins which at low level is harmful to the environment & human health

Incineration in HK  If this new technology is successful, HK will return to large-scale waste incineration. This will affect the development of recycling industry – the waste treatment facilities.