Environmental,Health and Safety Report 2004 / 05

	Materials Management Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing Our research on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of building materials and components used in domestic blocks was completed this year. A LCA / LCC decision-making tool has also been derived. It integrates environmental and economic considerations of the building materials. The tool will help us better comprehend the ranking of materials according to their environmental and economic impacts. This will assist us in selecting best value building materials from a long-term perspective, thus contribute to achieving more sustainable building designs.

Materials Management

Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing

Our research on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of building materials and components used in domestic blocks was completed this year.

A LCA / LCC decision-making tool has also been derived. It integrates environmental and economic considerations of the building materials. The tool will help us better comprehend the ranking of materials according to their environmental and economic impacts. This will assist us in selecting best value building materials from a long-term perspective, thus contribute to achieving more sustainable building designs.

	Management of Construction Materials
		To continue our support for waste reduction, in 2004/05 we continued to use recycled aggregates in new construction projects. This amounted to the use of approximately 400 tonnes of aggregates for pipe surrounds, 50 tonnes for drainage and 70 tonnes for rock-fill in sub-base works. This is in parallel with our initiative of using Pulverized Fuel Ash (PFA) in foundation and superstructure works where we can, so as to reduce fresh cement use and to provide a useful disposal option for the PFA residue from power stations. In 2004/05, our projects used approximately 12 200 tonnes of PFA. This was about 30% reduction comparing to the PFA used in previous year as a result of a decline in construction activity.

	We continued to promote the use of prefabricated building elements in our projects. In 2004/05, we undertook trials of using volumetric precasting to achieve greater and more efficient material use. Among various schemes, we adopted the Enhanced Precast and Prefabrication System (EPPS) for the redevelopment of Kwai Chung Flatted Factory that commenced in January 2005. EPPS is a change extending the coverage from non-structural to structural wall, and from “planar” to “volumetric” precasting. This system has yielded beneficial reduction in potential material damage and waste generation as well as a reduction in construction impacts (such as waste, air, noise, etc).

	Through the introduction and implementation of such materials management methods, we have achieved further savings in timber use. In 2004/05 we had 31 500 tonnes saving in timber, a continued improvement over the previous year (28 500 tonnes in 2003/04).

	Management of Hazardous Materials As part of the management of hazardous materials, the Housing Authority (HA) has been carrying out the Asbestos Abatement Programme through the estate redevelopment and asbestos removal works. In 2004/05 we removed another 2% of asbestos material. The safe removal and disposal of this material was ensured through strict adherence by our Contractors to our asbestos abatement programme and requirements . The Collection and Recycling of Spent Fluorescent Tube Scheme has been implemented in many of our estates since 2002. As these tubes contain hazardous materials, proper handling is required to avoid adverse environmental impacts. With encouraging support from estates in regions of Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan & Island, and Tuen Mun & Yuen Long, we extended the collection scheme to estates in Tai Po, North, Shatin and Sai Kung in 2004/05. To date, we have collected more than 100 000 tubes from 64 participating estates.

Management of Hazardous Materials

As part of the management of hazardous materials, the Housing Authority (HA) has been carrying out the Asbestos Abatement Programme through the estate redevelopment and asbestos removal works. In 2004/05 we removed another 2% of asbestos material. The safe removal and disposal of this material was ensured through strict adherence by our Contractors to our asbestos abatement programme and requirements .

The Collection and Recycling of Spent Fluorescent Tube Scheme has been implemented in many of our estates since 2002. As these tubes contain hazardous materials, proper handling is required to avoid adverse environmental impacts. With encouraging support from estates in regions of Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan & Island, and Tuen Mun & Yuen Long, we extended the collection scheme to estates in Tai Po, North, Shatin and Sai Kung in 2004/05. To date, we have collected more than 100 000 tubes from 64 participating estates.

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