Options for Sustainable Waste Management

for Hong Kong

C. S. POON

WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY

1. Avoid waste generation

2. Minimize waste generatio

n

3. Reuse/Recycle the materi

al

4. Waste treatment

5. Landfill disposal

AVOID

MINIMIZE

REUSE/RECYCLE

TREATMENT/ DISPOSAL

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation in Hong Kong

香港的都市固體廢物生產量

40 %60%

Recovered 2.3 million tonnes

回收再造二百三十萬公噸

Disposed of at landfills 3.4 million tonnes

棄置於堆填區三百四十萬公噸

Hong Kong generated 5.7 million tonnes MSW in 2004香港於 2004 年共產生五百七十萬公噸都市固體廢物

都市固體廢物 –其他國家的回收及堆肥Municipal Solid Waste –

Recycling & Composting in Other Countries

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

HK Waste Recycling Rates(%)

(2004) (2007) (2009) (2014)

• MSW 40 - 45 50

• Domestic 14 20 ? ?

• Domestic waste landfilled (7,014 t/d, 2004)

MEASURES TO AVOID/REDUCE/RECYCLE

WASTE

• Education• Waste charges• Product Responsibility Scheme (PRS)• Territory-wide source separation of waste• Appropriate use of RCP and RTS

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation in Hong Kong

香港的都市固體廢物生產量

40 %60%

Recovered 2.3 million tonnes

回收再造二百三十萬公噸

Disposed of at landfills 3.4 million tonnes

棄置於堆填區三百四十萬公噸

Hong Kong generated 5.7 million tonnes MSW in 2004香港於 2004 年共產生五百七十萬公噸都市固體廢物

Management Options of Residual Waste

after On-site Separation/Recycling

1) Direct Landfilling

2) Material Recovery Facilities of Recyclables (Dirty MRF)

2) Mechanical and biological treatment before landfilling

4) Thermal treatment before landfilling

5) Thermal treatment and reuse of ash

CURRENT SITUATION IN HK

• Total reliance on landfilling for non-recycled waste

Guangdong ShengN NENT Landfill

SENT Landfill

WENT Landfill

RTSs

Landfills

Special Waste Facilities

Ta Kwu Ling打鼓嶺

Nim Wan稔灣

Tseung Kwan O將軍澳

3 Strategic Landfills

Source : EPD

日本JAPAN

15%

80%

5%

瑞典SWEDEN

35%

35%

30%

丹麥DENMARK

10%

38%

52%

香港HONG KONG

40%

0%

60%瑞士SWITZERLAND

40%

42%

18%美國USA

26%

66% 8%

新加坡SINGAPORE

3%

50%

47%

荷蘭NETHERLANDS

33%

22% 45%

韓國KOREA

32%

17%

51%

德國GERMANY

51%

27%

22%法國

FRANCE

33%

46%

21%

海外國家的都市固體廢物管理Municipal Solid Waste Management in Other Countries

香港

回收 /堆肥RECYCLING/COMPOSTING

焚化INCINERATION

堆填LANDFILL

Problems of Traditional Thermal Treatment

Technologies

• Flue gas emission

• Ash residues are toxic (heavy metals and dioxin)

• Residues still account for 10-15% of waste input volume

• Construction cost and processing cost are higher than landfill

Advances in Thermal Waste Treatment Technologies

Conventional Incineration 　 　Dioxin problem

Exhaust gas and ash

New Technologies Clean flue gasDecompose dioxin

Containment of heavy metals in vitrified slag

Reality for Hong Kong

Hong Kong cannot afford to build new landfills to

manage our solid waste

Examples in Tokyo Examples in Tokyo and Singapore show and Singapore show a small landfill can a small landfill can meet the disposal meet the disposal requirements of requirements of thermally treated thermally treated residuals of MSWresiduals of MSW

Major Issues

1. What is the maximum waste recycling rate ?

2. What is the minimum waste quantity requiring disposal ?

3. Zero waste or zero landfill ?4. Landfill or thermal treatment for non

recyclables ?

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HK1. Improve infrastructure to facilitate source separation

and recycling of domestic waste

2. Implement product responsibility schemes to reduce waste ASAP

3. Appropriate economic instruments and charges to encourage waste reduction/recycling ASAP

3. Develop a more stable and healthy local waste recycling industry (Eco-park and long term policy)

4. Adopt appropriate waste treatment methods (vol. reduction) –Decision is needed ASAP

Thank you

Prof. CS Poon, PhD, FHKIEcecspoon@polyu.edu.hk

27666024