A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A
GREENER METROPOLIS
Environmental Protection Department
2017
Waste treatment poses a significant challenge to Hong Kong. In the past, waste was mainly disposed of in landfills, which is no longer a sustainable solution. In 2012, the Environment Bureau published Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022 (The Blueprint), which sets the target of a 40 percent waste reduction. To achieve this, it is essential for Hong Kong to implement advanced waste management strategies and gradually establish “waste-to-energy” facilities, with the ultimate goal to reduce the waste disposal at landfills by 50 percent.
ADVANCED SLUDGE INCINERATION TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE LANDFILLING
Along with the increasing population, more sludge is produced from sewage treatment. The appropriate disposal of the sludge has become a pressing challenge. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) had been formulating strategies to solve the sludge problem since 1997. In April 2015, the first sludge incineration facility - T▪PARK, was put into operation after going through various project stages, including feasibility studies, site selection, environmental assessment, public consultations and funding application, as well as a four-year construction period.
T▪PARK is one of the largest and most technologically advanced sludge treatment facilities in the world. It is capable of dealing with the expected increase of the sludge quantity in Hong Kong over the next 15 years. The facility reduces the total sludge volume by 90 percent using its cutting-edge incineration technology through efficient combustion. Since the commencement of operation up to 1 August 2017, T▪PARK treated over 900,000 tonnes of sludge that would otherwise end up in the landfills, which is equivalent to 10% of the overall waste delivered to landfills. T▪PARK meets the most stringent international standards of flue gas emission, and effectively prevents odour escaping to the vicinity. Heat energy generated from the incineration process is recovered and converted into electricity, which not only powers the facility itself, but can also be fed into the power grid to supply up to 4,000 households. This clearly demonstrates the benefit of the “waste-to-energy” process.
MULTIPLE STRATEGIES FOR GREEN PROMOTION, MORE WASTE-TO-ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE HORIZON
T▪PARK also features an environmental education centre which embraces educational, recreational and ecological elements. More details can be found in T▪PARK Environmental Education Centre Team. The management team of T▪PARK proactively works with various organisations to promote the culture of green living. For example, assistance was given to the M+ Rover from the M+ museum of visual culture to host in T▪PARK some roving exhibitions and creativity workshops. The centre also features upcycling workshops co-hosted with a wide range of design teams.
Following the success of T▪PARK, more “waste-to-energy” infrastructure will be made available in Hong Kong, including the Organic Resources Recovery Centre, the Integrated Waste Management Facilities in Shek Kwu Chau and a landfill gas power generation project jointly operated with China Light and Power Co. Ltd. at the West New Territories Landfill. EPD will continue to work towards the objectives outlined in the Blueprint.