SCMP – 1 May 2012
The Legislative Council’s environment panel made the right decision (“Bureau ditches HK$15b incinerator funding bid”, April 21).
The proposed Shek Kwu Chau incinerator posed an unacceptable risk of irreversible and ongoing health and environmental damage from air and marine pollution, with the high cost and risk involved in reclamation and transporting waste by barge. It had too many negatives.
Perhaps the Hong Kong and Guangdong governments could co-ordinate the disposal and recycling of their waste. In this way, they could harness available synergies, raise standards to their mutual benefit and achieve optimum management of Hong Kong’s waste, including harnessing energy from incineration into the electrical grid for domestic electricity consumption.
In the short term, perhaps Hong Kong could investigate the possibility of leasing capacity from waste incinerators in Guangdong, including at the world’s largest incinerator, to be built at Shenzhen.
The Hong Kong government should also liaise with Guangdong to minimise the health and environmental impact of Guangdong’s waste incinerators on Hong Kong.
Better still, maximise recycling and view all waste as a resource. With the right approach, there is “gold in garbage”.
Allan Woodley, Sydney, Australia