Control and Treatment of Hazardous (Chemical) Wastes in Hong Kong

The development of hazardous waste disposal facilities in Hong Kong dates back only 10 years. Disposal ordinances first came in 1981, and codes of practice did not come until 1988. At present certain hazardous wastes that can be attenuated or fixed in domestic waste are buried (co-disposed) in active landfills. Wastes unsuitable for such disposal must first be treated, stored or, in the case of PCBs, exported to a country that has facilities for complete destruction of the waste. A chemical waste treatment centre including a high temperature incinerator, is to be constructed in 1991 and 1992, with a small incinerator capable of handling infectious wastes eventually being added. Additional landfill capacity will also be required to cope with non-treatable wastes and residues from the above facilities. Consideration is being given to the possibility of importing hazardous wastes for destruction in the high temperature incinerator as a source of income for the future. For linguistic reasons hazardous wastes are called chemical wastes, a term which is more readily translated into Cantonese.