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 Urgent and effective measures are needed to deal with the immense volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated everyday in Hong Kong. Currently, solid wastes produced by households, offices and industrial activities reach a staggering 6.5 million tonnes per year. With the volume of solid waste showing no sign of decreasing, it is estimated that Hong Kong's landfills will reach full capacity in the next 6 to 10 years.
The recovery rate for domestic waste in Hong Kong has always been low, and there is certainly much room for improvement. Many countries in Europe and North America have long been using fiscal measures, such as levying environmental tax, to create incentives for the community to recycle more and discard less waste. In recent years, Taiwan adopted a scheme for charging MSW and prohibiting free hand-outs of plastic bags.
Last year, the Government issued “A Policy Framework for the Management of Municipal Solid Waste in Hong Kong”, detailing the strategy for the management of MSW in Hong Kong for the ten years from 2005 to 2014. In essence, the Government is proposing to use a series of initiatives, including the introduction of a territory-wide scheme separating domestic waste at source, a mandatory producer responsibility scheme and charging for MSW, so as to induce behavioural change in the attitude of our citizens towards waste. These proposals are expected to generate great interest of all stakeholders, including the commercial sector, waste facilities suppliers and operators, academics and professionals as well as policy makers and ordinary citizens.
| Venue |
Meeting Room 606 - 607, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| Date |
1st September 2006 (Friday) |
| Time |
9:00 a.m. - 5:10 p.m. |
| Medium |
English
Simultaneous Interpretation (English to Cantonese) will be provided |
| Admission |
Free of charge, but reservations are required |
(Sponsored by our Gold Sponsor, the Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. and Silver Sponsors, Shell Hong Kong Limited, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited and the "Star" Ferry Company, Limited) |
Devising a long-term and sustainable solution for MSW is crucial and deserves thorough deliberation by the community, environmental groups and other professional bodies. The aim of the seminar is to bring together prominent speakers of diverse backgrounds and expertise to share with the public their experience in dealing with MSW, in particular, on issues mentioned by the Government in the Policy Framework. Overseas practitioners will share their experience in MSW abatement programmes, whereas trade experts will explain the “state-of-the-art” technologies in dealing with MSW. It is hoped that the seminar will lead to constructive recommendations which will enable the SAR Government to formulate a MSW control strategy most beneficial to Hong Kong. Devising a long-term and sustainable solution for MSW is crucial and deserves thorough deliberation by the community, environmental groups and other professional bodies. The aim of the seminar is to bring together prominent speakers of diverse backgrounds and expertise to share with the public their experience in dealing with MSW, in particular, on issues mentioned by the Government in the Policy Framework. Overseas practitioners will share their experience in MSW abatement programmes, whereas trade experts will explain the “state-of-the-art” technologies in dealing with MSW. It is hoped that the seminar will lead to constructive recommendations which will enable the SAR Government to formulate a MSW control strategy most beneficial to Hong Kong.
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