Waste management in Hong Kong - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In the densely populated city of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, waste is a troublesome issue. The city generates around 6.4 million tons of waste each year, and by 2015, its existing landfill

Landfill

A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

s are expected to be full. The government

Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...

has introduced waste management

Waste management

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...

schemes and is working to educate the public on the subject. On the commercial side, producers are taking up measures to reduce waste.

Statistics

Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Protection Department is a department of Hong Kong Government concerning the issues of environmental protection in Hong Kong.-History:...

(EPD) provides data and statistics about waste management.

Overview

In Hong Kong, wastes generated can be categorized as municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste

Construction and demolition waste

Construction waste consists of unwanted material produced directly or incidentally by the construction or industries. This includes building materials such as insulation, nails, electrical wiring, and rebar, as well as waste originating from site preparation such as dredging materials, tree stumps,...

, chemical waste

Chemical waste

Chemical waste is a waste that is made from harmful chemicals . Chemical waste may fall under regulations such as COSHH in the United Kingdom, or the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in the United States...

and other special waste including clinical waste, animal carcasses

Carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...

, livestock waste, radioactive waste

Radioactive waste

Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...

, grease trap waste and waterworks/sewage sludges.

Processing

Wastes in Hong Kong are first collected from disposal bins to refuse transfer stations (RTS). After they are compacted and put in containers, they are delivered to disposal lands or recycling centers.

Waste Collection

There are hundreds of collectors in the city where wastes are located before transferring to refuse transfer stations.

Waste Transport

There are seven refuse transfer stations in the city. They serve as centralised collection points for the transfer of waste to the strategic landfills.

Landfills

Operated by the EPD, the landfill sites only accept garbage from Hong Kong. Thirteen of 16 landfills were closed from 1988 to 1996.

Strategic landfills

Hong Kong has three strategic landfills in use. All are located in the New Territories

New Territories

New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...

Landfill	Location	Acres	Opened	Capacity	Status
West New Territories Landfill (WENT)	Nim Wan Nim Wan Nim Wan was a bay between Tsang Tsui and Ha Pak Nai in Tuen Mun District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It approaches Deep Bay with Shekou, Shenzhen at its opposite.... , Tuen Mun Tuen Mun Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...	110	1993	61 million m³	Active
South East New Territories Landfill (SENT)	Tai Chik Sha, Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village....	100	1994	43	Active
North East New Territories Landfill (NENT)	Ta Kwu Ling Ta Kwu Ling Ta Kwu Ling is an area in the North District, New Territories, Hong Kong, located northeast of Sheung Shui, close to the border with mainland China....	61	1995	35	Active

Closed landfills

There are also 13 closed landfills. The closed landfills are converted into facilities such as golf courses, multi-purpose grass pitches, rest gardens, and ecological parks. Greenhouse gases emitted from closed landfills are used for energy. The closed landfills are:

Landfill	Location	Acres	Opened	Capacity	Status	Rehab Period	Current use
Gin Drinkers Bay Gin Drinkers Bay Gin Drinkers Bay or Gin Drinker's Bay is also known as Lap Sap Wan . It was a bay in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong....	Kwai Tsing District Kwai Tsing District Kwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 477,092 in 2001...	29	1960	3.5 million tonnes	Closed	1999–2000	now Kwai Chung Park
Ngau Tam Mei Ngau Tam Mei Ngau Tam Mei , also known as Yau Tam Mei , is a suburb located at Yuen Long at the New Territories, a place where the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link may pass by in the future...	Yuen Long District Yuen Long District Yuen Long District , is one of the districts of Hong Kong located in the northwest of the New Territories. It had a population of 449,070 in 2001. The district has the youngest population of Hong Kong and the lowest income in the New Territories.-Geography:...	2	1973	0.15 million tonnes	Closed	1999–2000	Green Belt
Shuen Wan	Tai Po District Tai Po District Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the areas of Tai Po, Tai Po Kau, Ting Kok, Plover Cove and the northern part of Sai Kung Peninsula on both shores of Tolo Channel. It is located in the New Territories...	50	1973	15 million tonnes	Closed	1996–1997	golf driving range
Ma Tso Lung	North District North District, Hong Kong North District is the northernmost district of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the northwestern part of the New Territories. The new town of Fanling-Sheung Shui is within this district. It had a population of 298,657 in 2001. The district has the second lowest population density.It...	2	1976	0.2 million tonnes	Closed	1999–2000	recreation centre for Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Tung Wah Group of Hospitals The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals , with a long history from 1870, is the oldest and the largest charitable organisation in Hong Kong. Their education Services and Community Services to the community with a total of 194 service centres spreading over the territory of Hong Kong.Although it appears a...
Ngau Chi Wan Ngau Chi Wan Ngau Chi Wan was a bay beneath Hammer Hill in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its geographical coordinates are 22° 20' 0" North, 114° 12' 0" East. It now refers to an area north of Choi Hung Estate....	Wong Tai Sin District Wong Tai Sin District Wong Tai Sin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, and is the only landlocked district of the city. It is located in Kowloon and has a population of 444,630...	8	1976	0.7 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1998	recreation area
Sai Tso Wan Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground is a multi-purpose playground in Lam Tin, Hong Kong. It is most notable being the first permanent recreational facility in Hong Kong built from a landfill.-History:...	Kwun Tong District Kwun Tong District Kwun Tong is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in Kowloon. It had a population of 562,427 in 2001. The district has the third highest population while the income is below average....	9	1978	1.6 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1998	Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground is a multi-purpose playground in Lam Tin, Hong Kong. It is most notable being the first permanent recreational facility in Hong Kong built from a landfill.-History:... opened in 2004
Siu Lang Shui	Tuen Mun District Tuen Mun District Tuen Mun District is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. Its name was previously 'Tsing Shan' and it changed in the 1970s. It is the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong, located about 32 km from the Kowloon Peninsula, 7 km southwest of Yuen Long and 18 km...	12	1978	1.2 million tonnes	Closed	1999–2000	Green Belt
Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village.... Stage I	Sai Kung District Sai Kung District Sai Kung District is the second largest district in Hong Kong in terms of area. It comprises the southern half of Sai Kung Peninsula and Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories plus a strip to the east of Kowloon. The administrative centre is Sai Kung Town but the district's population is...	68	1978	15.2 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1999	proposed site for football academy and driving range
Ma Yau Tong Ma Yau Tong Ma Yau Tong is an area on a mountain pass between Po Lam of Tseung Kwan O New Town and Lam Tin of urban New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is named after the village of the same name. It is known as Lau Tong and Ma Lau Tong in early 20th Century maps... West	Kwun Tong	6	1979	6 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1998	planned recreation facilities
Ma Yau Tong Central	Kwun Tong	11	1981	1.0 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1998	future Lam Tin Park
Pillar Point Valley	Tuen Mun District	38	1983	13 million tonnes	Closed	2004–2006	N/A
Jordan Valley	Kwun Tong	11	1986	1.5 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1998	Jordan Valley Park, Opened 2010.
Tseung Kwun O Stage II-III	Sai Kung District	42	1988	12.6 million tonnes	Closed	1997–1999	temporary home for Hong Kong Air Cadets Corps model plane training facilities

Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth (HK)

Friends of the Earth Charity Limited is a Hong Kong based environmental organisation founded in 1983. Commonly known as Friends of the Earth or FoE , it has a membership of more than 4,500 individuals and over 140 schools and non-government organisations.As FoE receives no regular funding...

is one of the local environmental groups in Hong Kong. One of its campaigns emphasizes on setting up an all-inclusive recycling system.

Green Power

Green Power is a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization concerned with the city's environmental issues. The NGO was founded in 1988 by a group of volunteers who made environmental education the foremost priority of the organization....

, another local environmental organization, has many activities related to waste control and management. Green Power organizes an on-going "Zero Waste Action", aiming to reduce the waste the city produces.

External links

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