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February 12th, 2011:

Green solution for city’s waste

South China Morning Post — 12 Feb 2011

I wish to respond to Bernard Chan’s article (“Can we dispose of our growing waste problem?” January 28) and several letters in these columns, all of which have called for an urgent solution to Hong Kong’s imminent waste management problem.

This is not the first time that I have written to the South China Morning Post (SEHK: 0583announcements,news) about Green Island Cement’s Eco-Co-Combustion System for waste treatment.

As I have said many times to the Environmental Protection Department and Environment Bureau, with this technology, municipal solid waste can be used to replace coal in our cement plant, and the residual ash can be used as clinker in our cement manufacturing operations.

The system can treat 4,800 tonnes, about 50 per cent of the municipal solid waste that Hong Kong generates every day, so the burden on landfills in the city could be substantially lessened.

As the Eco-Co-Combustion System will be constructed on Green Island Cement’s existing site at Tap Shek Kok, no additional land is required to be zoned or reclaimed, nor will there be any disturbance caused to any citizens.

In addition, the system’s upfront installation cost is about HK$2 billion, a substantial saving on the government’s proposal to spend about HK$4 billion.

However, despite the benefits of the Eco-Co-Combustion System, the government has not given us a chance to tender for processing waste in Hong Kong.

Considering the sentiments that have been expressed in your Letters page over the past few weeks, it would be a waste indeed to see that an efficient, effective and environmentally friendly waste management solution was not given serious consideration.

Don Johnston, executive director, Green Island Cement (Holdings) Limited