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| Environmental, Health and Safety Report 2003 / 04
Our Vision for Sustainable Housing | Message from the Chairman | Message from the Director | Summary | Feedback Form About this Report | Business Overview & EHS Management Structure | Significant EHS Aspects | 2003 / 04 Highlights | Performance Review | Targets and Initiatives for 2004 / 05 and Beyond | Verification Statement | Annexes |
Our Role in Addressing Waste Issue Hong Kong is facing a shortage of landfill space, and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) predicts that our landfill will be full within the next seven to 11 years if waste disposal volumes continue at the present rate. According to the EPD, the two main sources of waste disposed at landfills in Hong Kong are domestic waste, and construction and demolition (C&D) waste. The Housing Authority (HA) has been implementing waste management schemes to reduce domestic and C&D waste, and will continue to deliver green messages to our tenants and our stakeholders to promote the 4R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replace. [Photo: Wastewi$e Gold Logo.] The Wastewi$e Scheme on waste management jointly organized by the Environmental Campaign Committee, the EPD and the Hong Kong Productivity Council gives recognition for the third consecutive year to our achievements in waste reduction, the collection of recyclable materials and purchases of recycled products.
Reducing Construction and Demolition Waste [Photo: Recycling of construction and demolition waste on site.] C&D waste can be reduced through effective waste management. In this regard, we have explored a number of opportunities to reduce C&D waste during the design, construction and demolition phases of building projects. In 2003 / 04 we disposed of 619 400 tonnes of inert material and 58 300 tonnes of non-inert material from our piling and demolition works to various public fills and landfills respectively. Year-on-year, this total represents a 7% decrease. In order to achieve our target of sustainable housing, some basic strategies we have implemented during the year included:
Selective Demolition In line with the principle of 4R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replace, we have implemented a selective demolition pilot project at three school blocks in Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. By first removing fittings then fixtures and building components and finally demolishing a building structure, we are able to:
Waste Reduction and Recycling in Our Estates We have launched a series of campaigns in our estates and these have received valuable support from residents. It was reported in the HA's Public Housing Recurrent Survey 2004 that 60% of households felt that the HA supported environmental protection in public housing. In 2003 / 04, 147 estates participated in our Waste Recycling Campaign. Year-on-year, the quantity of domestic waste generated per person per day in our estates remained steady at 0.82 kg, but was 0.27 kg less per person per day than the Hong Kong average[1]. Overall, the domestic waste recovery rate on our estates was broadly consistent with previous years. Our waste recovery rates during the year for paper and aluminum cans were 16% and 22% respectively, which compared favourably with the average domestic waste recovery rate (all materials) in Hong Kong of 8% to 14%. Our recent consultancy study on Environment Hazardous Process in Factories Estates proposed provision of recycling bins for non-hazardous industrial wastes within our factory estates.
Working with the Community Through years of community activities, our achievement in waste reduction today is established through the active involvement of our residents. During the year we implemented a number of waste recycling schemes and trials. Waste Recovery Trial [Photo: Involving the community on waste recycling.] Eighteen Housing Department direct-managed estates joined the trial scheme in March 2004 and the scheme was aimed to encourage greater public participation in recycling. Plastic Bags Recovery Trial [Photo: Waste recycling activitiy.] Five of our public rental housing estates and five Home Ownership Scheme courts joined the plastic bags recovery trial organized by the EPD during the year. Convenient Access to Recycling Bins [Photo: Recycling bins are placed in public housing estates.] We have continued the effort in providing recycling bins at convenient locations in our estates to enable tenants to develop environmentally friendly disposal habits. From our Public Housing Recurrent Survey 2004, some 84% of public housing households reported to have a good knowledge of the function of recycling bins and used this disposal option. Currently, over 127 000 units in eight housing estates have easy access to separation bins in the common areas of their floors. Through raising tenant awareness and promoting participation in waste management, we hope to develop a culture of shared responsibility for environmental protection among our residents. top |
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