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Air pollution recognized as carcinogenic, also linked to prenatal development problems

Nov 2nd, 2013
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally reported that air pollution causes cancer: vehicle, industrial and other forms of emissions fill the air with a toxic cocktail of chemicals and particulate matter. Meanwhile, the Guardian also reports that air pollution, combined with an environment of heavy traffic, increases the likelihood of babies being born with low birthweight, which leads to other health problems. With Hong Kong suffering from both problems, the government will need to put its foot down to improve the situation if it is serious about improving its citizens’ health.

When pollution strikes hard: Air quality in March 2010 (left), compared to better days. (WSJ)


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Will ‘measurement’ of pollutants in HK take extraterritorial sources into consideration?

Oct 31st, 2013
by Editor.
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Cheung Chi-fai of the SCMP reports that Hong Kong will be linking up with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ‘develop a mechanism to measure changes in air quality and public health’ to help the city improve its environment. The plan, if it could be called one at all at this time, is extremely vague, but even if it becomes the best-laid of plans, it would run into a fundamental problem: the basis of the study is an investigation about the city’s clean air policies, but some of the worst air pollutants come from outside the city’s jurisdiction. For example, ocean-going vessels passing through Hong Kong’s nearby shipping channels use bunker fuels with 2.75 to 4% sulphur content, significantly higher than the 0.005ppm(0.0000005%) of Euro5 diesel fuel; prevailing easterly winds blows sulphur compounds and respirable suspended particles (RSP) into Hong Kong, a situation worsened by the density of urban structures that helps to trap air particles within its confines. The many incinerators on the Shenzhen side of the border also figures to be a major factor in Hong Kong’s air quality.

This ‘plan’ would need more serious thinking if it intends to be anywhere near producing true analysis of Hong Kong’s air quality.

Click here to read the SCMP report:

Missing SCMP story: Jim Middleton’s solution for treating Hong Kong’s wet food waste

Oct 29th, 2013
by Editor.
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This was the story that went out in some editions of the SCMP on 16 October 2013. But it didn’t make it online and some other editions due to some editorial mistake.

“We’ve come across a novel scheme for dealing with Hong Kong’s waste. A document prepared by Jim Middleton, Chairman of Clear The Air, says we can pour it down the drain. Not all of it – only the food waste, which accounts for 42.3 per cent of the total disposed of in landfills. Hong Kong’s wet food waste (WFW) has a high water content ranging from 90 per cent to 70 per cent compared with 30 per cent in Europe and around 50 per cent for Korea and Japan. Unsurprisingly, this makes it difficult to burn without adding additional feedstock.

It is this wet ‘putrescible’ matter that gives waste a bad name since it is the source of the bad smell that emanates from refuse trucks and land fills. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is planning two anaerobic digestion waste treatment plants which will treat a combined 500 tonnes per day compared with the 3,600 tonnes/day of food waste that is disposed of in landfills. These will generate about 7.5 megawatts of power and produce about 50 tonnes per day of low quality compost. It’s yet to be established if there is a market for this.

But instead of going through this process, Clear The Air suggests dealing with the food waste at source and make  every restaurant, wet market, business, caterer, hotel and household responsible for disposing of their own food waste as it is generated, by using waste disposal shredding (garburator) units with outfalls linked to the existing sewerage system. Given that between 70-90 per cent of the food waste is water, it could easily be handled by Hong Kong’s current sewage and drainage arrangements. This would halve the amount of waste going to landfills and give Hong Kong some breathing space to consider alternative approaches to dealing with the rest of the waste, instead of its proposed incineration proposal. The plan is for a large incinerator to be built on the scenic island of Shek Kwu Chau while tons of toxic ash are daily shipped to  ash lagoons at Tsang Tsui near Tuen Mun .”

“Invasion of flies” highlight HK landfill problem; government blames opposition to incineration and household waste production

Oct 28th, 2013
by Editor.
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A shocking incident occurred in Tuen Mun recently, where swamps of flies ‘invaded’ the town, causing serious disturbance for the residents; all manners of food attracted flies as magnets attract iron. Residents observe that the numbers of flies and other pests have increased in the past years as the nearby landfill in Nim Wan increased in size, and they claim that none of the pest control measures in the municipality has worked so far.

In 25 minutes, a new piece of A4-size flytrap paper is covered with flies. (Singtao/So)

It seems obvious that the source of the flies problem lies in the landfill, but government officials made two ridiculous observations in response to this. First, that “there were no swarms of flies to be seen” when lawmakers inspected the landfill, and that there was “no evidence that the flies had come from the landfill”. Shirking direct responsibility to tackle the situation, officials are now simply evading the question as to the source of the flies.

The second government response makes even harder reading. While admitting that the current practice of landfills is itself a problem, officials are blaming the opposition to incineration as the reason that the city has to continue landfilling a large percentage of its waste; with alternative solutions in plasma technology, it is difficult to understand why the government only understands ‘opposition to incineration’ in such a narrow context.

Do government officials think only in the two dimensions of landfills and incinerators? (Westinghouse)

Officials continue to harp on household waste production and push for measures to punish its citizens for it, when it has been pointed out that commercial production of unnecessary waste far outstrips household waste production; here again, the refusal to acknowledge the true state of affairs can only hamper efforts to resolve the problem of waste disposal.

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SCMP Letters: Green fix for food waste mountain

Oct 22nd, 2013
by Editor.
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Mary Melville, Tsim Sha Tsui

Since the Council for Sustainable Development launched a consultation on waste charging, there has been a flurry of media attention on the topic.

While the pros and cons of the proposed charges have been examined in detail, the experts commenting through the media have shown little interest in pursuing rational proposals put forward by members of the public and NGOs on efficient and cost-effective solutions.

James Middleton, chairman of the group Clear the Air, has proposed what appears to be an optimum solution to the disposal of food waste, via our upgraded sewerage system, completion date 2016, at Stonecutters Island.

Food waste generated in Hong Kong is more than 75 per cent water, not suitable for either incineration or composting. Instead it could be collected from the wet markets, malls and collection centres and transported to transfer stations, where it can be pulped in large grinders and poured into the sewerage system.

When the waste water arrives at the sewage plant, it is attacked by special bacteria which remove the biosolids. The cleaned water can then be expelled safely into the sea. The residue solids can be dewatered and shipped to the soon-to-be-operational Tsang Tsui biosolids sludge treatment facility (with an incinerator). According to the experts, the capacity at Stonecutters will be such that our daily food waste would be handled in two minutes.

For small domestic units, it would not take an Einstein to develop a sink-friendly blender that would allow household food waste to be pulped and then washed down the kitchen sink or flushed down the toilet. These blenders could be provided free of charge to those families and elderly living under the poverty line. The cost would easily be recouped via a significant decrease in food waste being handled through the current “pick up and transport to landfill” system.

Could Secretary for Environment Wong Kam-sing advise your readers whether he is aware of and has evaluated this solution?

Perhaps the Environmental Protection Department is afraid to lose face by admitting that its pursuit of costly and polluting landfill and incinerator programmes has been overtaken by technological advances embraced by other government departments?

The taxpayer certainly has a right to demand that realistic and workable solutions to a community conundrum be fully evaluated and included in the array of possible solutions open to public consultation and comment.

12 Oct 2013

Critical questions evaded as HK government rep. responds to citizen concerns on waste charging

Oct 21st, 2013
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The proposed policy to levy taxes on waste disposal has stirred controversy, not just as a matter of petty finances but the grounds on which the policy should stand. An interesting correspondence between a Hong Kong government representative and Bob Carson, a citizen residing in Sha Tin, shows that while it is relatively easier for households to make changes to their daily routine, it is much harder for the government to face up to legitimate concerns from its citizens, much less to address the question of commercial waste generation that Carson raised.

People will be charged for waste created by manufacturers. (SCMP)

Below are four letters from the correspondence that appeared in the SCMP between August and September. In short, policy makers think that a punitive tax will incentivise households to presort waste and recycle more, that they will effectively police illegal waste dumping and ultimately, all these would change the mindsets of citizens regarding waste generation. Carson, on the other hand, notes that many citizens are already doing their part, or at least trying (for want of proper municipal facilities), but it is quite easily observable that the guiltiest parties of waste generation are commercial enterprises, and the government has made little effort in showing that they have even given any thoughts on this matter.

SCMP Editorial: Time for action in battle to clear roads of polluting vehicles

Oct 11th, 2013
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A revised government plan for improving air quality by getting the 84,000 dirtiest, or pre-Euro IV commercial diesel vehicles off our roads is going to take a year longer – until 2020 – despite an increase of HK$3 billion, or more than 33 per cent, in the cost to taxpayers. Lawmakers, understandably, put up a fight for the original deadline of 2019, but Legco’s environmental affairs panel was right in the end to unanimously endorse the revised scheme.

Devised to help meet tougher air-quality objectives to take effect next year, the plan is cash-incentive-based and therefore depends ultimately on the co-operation of fleet and vehicle owners. The transport trades criticised the original terms, asking for more money, more flexibility and more time, while green groups wanted early implementation. The industry may be seen to have prevailed in the revised plan. But if it works the community will be the real winner in a battle against air pollution in which we badly lag international benchmarks.

The government originally proposed ex gratia payments ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent of a vehicle’s replacement cost, with retirement deadlines beginning in 2016 and ending in 2019 for Euro III vehicles. Raising the subsidies to a range of 27 to 33 per cent and extending retirement deadlines by a year will, hopefully, meet the concerns of some in the trade that the terms were harsh on livelihoods. This will raise the estimated cost from HK$8.7 billion to HK$11.7 billion.

In addition, the new approach will limit the service life of newly registered vehicles to 15 years. Officials say these measures and the retrofitting of 1,400 franchised buses with diesel emission controls should significantly reduce roadside pollution, including tiny airborne particles most harmful to health, towards the end of the decade. Given that more than 3,000 people are estimated to die prematurely each year because of bad air, we trust the government has struck the right balance of carrot and stick. For the sake of our health it is time for action, not more talk.

5 Oct 2013

from: http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1324793/time-action-battle-clear-roads-polluting-vehicles

KMB argues improving bus and road efficiency more impactful than changing out old fleet

Oct 7th, 2013
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In response to Ernest Kao’s article in SCMP on the benefits of replacing older buses in Hong Kong’s bus fleet, KMB’s representative Evan Auyang wrote in to SCMP, asking instead for help and support in bus route reorganisations and improvements in transport efficiency of roads. Which would of course, by his own admission, cost “nothing” (to KMB) and by extension increase their profitability.

Below is his letter, published in SCMP’s letters on 2 Oct 2013:

I refer to the report, (“Removing old buses saves lives, says study“, September 17).

We at KMB would say that it is not only realistic, but also desirable, to remove older buses from Hong Kong’s roads. This is not only good for the environment, but also good for our economy.

However, there is a more cost-effective way to do this: remove buses by improving efficiency. While replacing buses is financially costly, pushing efficiency costs nothing, with impact as large (if not larger) than technological upgrades.

The fact is that we have simply too many buses inefficiently serving several urban areas of Hong Kong. For example, in the five districts of Kowloon alone (Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Yau Tsim Mong), KMB has nearly 1,000 buses dedicated to serve these areas. Many routes are not only duplicated with the MTR, but also minibus routes and KMB’s own routes.

According to KMB, tackling route and road congestion should take priority over replacing old buses. (SCMP)

The government is currently working with bus operators to reorganise bus routes for greater efficiency, but the progress is far too slow. With only 5 per cent of the network reorganised after nine months of intense consultation and lobbying work with the districts, it would take over 10 years to complete this exercise if the decision-making after consultations could not be expedited.

Moreover, route reorganisation itself is insufficient to tackle the inefficiencies of road-based public transport.

While the government has shown great foresight in building up a world-class railway system as the backbone of Hong Kong’s public transport system, there is insufficient investment and policy support to ensure road-based mass transport is efficient to complement the railway system.

Our roads are increasingly congested with no signs of abatement.

For example, 99 per cent of KMB’s bus routes experienced an increase in journey times at an average of 16 per cent during the past five years. Average bus speeds could be increased by 25 per cent in our city, which would translate into a reduction of over 1,000 buses on our roads while keeping the same service frequencies and at faster journey times. Picking this “low-hanging fruit” means that we can simply remove these buses without needing to upgrade them.

In high-density international cities such as London, Singapore, Seoul and Taipei, there is policy focus on mass transport efficiency. Average bus speeds are always monitored and simple actions such as traffic enforcement at “black spots” have been effective.

Evan Auyang, deputy managing director, KMB

Want to get in touch with members of Legco?

May 12th, 2010
by AdminCTA.
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rotaryWould you like to voice your opinion to Legco’s committee members about thet topical issues that concern you and Hong Kong?

Please download this PDF. It contains the contact information of all Legco members.

Hong Kong roadside pollution soars to record highs

May 4th, 2010
by AdminCTA.
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aleqm5hlh_oukx2sllp9krjz44oxl73ndgLast updated: May 4, 2010

Source: AFP via Google

Hong Kong’s roadside pollution soared to record highs in last two quarters, official data showed Tuesday.

Roadside pollution was “very high” or “severe” for 14 percent of the time between January and March, and 24 percent of the time in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to statistics from the Environmental Protection Department.

The six-month period was the most polluted in the city since the department started releasing quarterly findings in 1999.

A survey of people in more than 150 countries last month found Hong Kong residents were the most dissatisfied with their air quality.

The poll, by the consultancy Gallup, revealed that 70 percent of the financial hub’s inhabitants were unhappy with the city’s air.

In March, Hong Kong recorded its first “severe” roadside pollution warning in a decade, when a toxic soup of particulates fuelled by a massive sandstorm in Beijing shrouded the city’s famed skyline for several days.

“Severe” pollution means the concentration of pollutants exceed 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air. The warning advises the public to stay away from areas with heavy traffic.

Air pollution has become an increasing public health and economic headache for the authorities in the city of seven million, as green groups warned that the problem would force talented professionals to leave.

Last month, Hong Kong’s leading authority on air pollution, Anthony Hedley, announced that he was leaving the city for the Isle of Man in Britain to find clean air to try to keep his respiratory problems under control.

Clean Air Network, an environmental campaign group, said it was “a sad irony that one of those most committed to alleviating Hong Kong’s air pollution now has to leave the city primarily for that reason.”

Emissions from the factory belt in southern China over Hong Kong’s northern border combined with local emissions from power plants and transport have generated a thick blanket of haze over the city in recent years.

The government said it has stepped up efforts to cut vehicle emissions, including tax breaks for users of environmentally-friendly hybrid cars.

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