Gov't aims to strike balance over landfill concerns
May 25, 2013
Secretary for the Environment KS Wong says Hong Kong will have trouble dealing with waste in the near future if the city cannot expand its landfills. The Government will try to strike a balance to respond to local concerns.
Speaking to the media after attending a radio programme this morning, Mr Wong said everyone in Hong Kong should consider both the city's concerns and local needs, and that the administration is trying to strike a balance.
“For instance, they are concerned about the smell, so our response is to transfer only construction waste to the concerned landfill so that the root problem can be solved. They are concerned about the amount of refuse lorries, so through changes in refuse transfers, the total number of refuse lorries going to that area would be reduced by about 50%,” he said.
Asked about how to expand the provision of recycling bins in residential areas, Mr Wong said plans for volume-based waste charging have prompted increased demand for such facilities as they allow people to contribute to recycling and reduce their waste charges at the same time.
“Currently, Hong Kong has recycling bins in about 80% of residential areas. So, we would take these two to three years to fill the gap so that everyone can help contribute to recycling in the residential areas,” he added.
Mr Wong said Hong Kong is generating a large amount of food waste not only from commercial areas, but also from residential ones. The Government is building two organic waste treatment facilities in Lantau Island and in the northern part of the New Territories, which together can handle 500 tonnes a day.
The Government is also seeking new sites to expand the organic waste treatment facilities. A site in the EcoPark was also identified to turn food waste into fish feed, so there will be alternative ways to increase the use of food waste.
“But all these facilities would take time for commissioning. We have to take a step-by-step approach so that over the time, we can help absorb more collected food waste," he said.
