Waste Management
47. Apart from improving our air quality, we also face another challenge to find effective ways to handle our solid waste management problem. We need to implement the "polluter-pays" principle to achieve waste reduction at source by inducing people to change their living habits, and to encourage recovery and recycling. We will introduce in this legislative session the Product Eco-responsibility Bill to provide a legal framework for implementing producer responsibility schemes. The environmental levy on plastic shopping bags proposed earlier has gained public support. It will form the first producer responsibility scheme under the Bill to address the indiscriminate use of plastic shopping bags in Hong Kong. I would like to make it clear that the proposed levy is designed to promote waste reduction and recovery, with the ultimate aim of minimising the waste of resources and relieving the heavy burden of waste management.
48. Given the current rate of increase in solid waste, we estimate that the three existing strategic landfills in Hong Kong will run out of space within the next few years. With no alternatives in the short to medium term, there is a pressing need to expand these landfills. Elsewhere in the world, modern incineration facilities are safe, technologically proven, and have stringent emission standards. This waste treatment method is in line with the principle of sustainable development. We are trying to identify suitable sites for developing Integrated Waste Management Facilities that adopt incineration as the core technology. By using advanced technology, we can reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills which in turn will minimise the impact on the surrounding environment. In addition to the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme Stage 2A, we will also build sludge treatment facilities to avoid dumping huge volumes of sludge at landfills. These facilities will substantially expand our waste treatment capacity and ensure the sustainable development of Hong Kong.
