Integrated waste management facilities can help reduce the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) handled by the city’s landfills and even achieve zero landfill, Secretary for the Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan said today.

In response to a lawmaker’s series of questions at the Legislative Council, Mr Tse said at present Hong Kong needs to handle about 11,000 tonnes of MSW and 4,000 tonnes of construction waste everyday. Currently, the North East New Territories (NENT) Landfill and the West New Territories Landfill are responsible for receiving MSW.

With the anticipated commissioning of I·PARK1, the first integrated waste management facility, in 2025, together with the landfill operation and traffic arrangements, it is expected that the total amount of MSW to be handled by the two landfills in the New Territories can be reduced by about 3,000 tonnes per day.

Upon the commissioning of I • PARK2, the NENT Landfill will stop receiving MSW.

Mr Tse noted that the amount of waste generation will increase with economic, trade and population growth. The Government expects that, in addition to I • PARK1 and I • PARK2, it is most likely that I • PARK3 will be required to achieve the goal of zero landfill.

The Environmental Protection Department is commencing a city-wide site search study in parallel to identify other potential sites suitable for developing more similar waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities.

Mr Tse added that for the timely completion and operation of adequate WtE facilities required for Hong Kong, the Government is exploring the use of a public-private partnership approach to ensure speedy construction through the most efficient and cost-effective means.