Two locations eyed for waste incinerator

UnaSo

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Tsang Tsui Ash Lagoon in Tuen Mun and Shek Kwu Chau in south Lantau have been identified as potential sites for a HK$4 billion incinerator to ease the pressure on landfills that are close to saturation point, the Environment Bureau said yesterday.

In addition, the public may be asked to pay for the waste it creates.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah said the current landfill areas will be full within four to eight years and there is a pressing need to seek an alternative solution to waste disposal.

The new facility, while benefiting the general public, will also affect those who live in close proximity, he warned.

“We have to strike a balance, and we will be consulting residents’ organizations during the study,” Yau said.

The 53-hectare Tsang Tsui Ash Lagoon is near China Light and Power’s Black Point power station and has been used by the company to store pulverized fuel ash since the 1980s.

It is also next to the Western New Territories landfill.

Department sources said it would be convenient to dispose of ash residue from the incinerator into the landfills while the surplus energy generated can easily be fed into the power grid.

The second option, Shek Kwu Chau, is located away from population clusters with only a drug rehabilitation center housing about 200 people the only nearby building.

However, reclamation will be needed and this may have an impact on the marine ecology.

The final location will be decided in 18 to 24 months after engineering studies and site assessments are taken in conjunction with district councils and concern groups.

The facility aims to be operational by 2014 with a capital cost of HK$4 billion and an annual operation cost of HK$250 million.

The proposed facility will comprise an incinerator to handle 3,000 tonnes of waste daily, an organic waste treatment facility for 200 tonnes daily, a facility to separate organic waste and a sorting and recycling plant for mixed municipal solid waste.

The projected amount of carbon dioxide to be released from the incinerator is about 0.001 nanogram per cubic meter, while the European Union standard is 0.1 nanogram.

Last year the city produced 17,000 tonnes of waste, which is 30 percent more than 10 years ago.

Friends of the Earth environment affairs officer Michelle Au Wing-tsz said Hong Kong should not rely solely on re-introducing incinerators to solve the waste problem.

Instead the government should speed up its 2006 target to reduce waste through a polluters’ responsibility scheme, waste charges and recycling.

Tuen Mun residents are far from pleased with the latest development, with lawmaker and Tuen Mun District Council chairman Lau Wong-fat urging the government to reconsider the location.

“We already have a power plant and landfills, why can’t they pick another spot for the incinerator?” he asked. “The people are concerned about their health and quality of life.”