1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
This Outline Waste Management Plan (OWMP) will form the basis for the development of a detailed Waste Management Plan (WMP) as specified in the EIA Implementation Schedule (Annex G).
1.2 PURPOSES OF THE OWMP
The aims of the OWMP are:
* to identify and classify the types of wastes generated in the execution of the works;
* to identify the potential for reuse, recycling, minimisation and disposal of wastes from the proposed construction activities; and
* to outline the monitoring and audit programme to ensure that the wastes arising from the construction activities are handled, stored, collected, transferred and disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner which complies with the contract requirements and all the relevant Ordinance and Regulations in the Hong Kong SAR.
1.3 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES
During project construction, the Contractor will comply with the following Ordinance and Regulations which cover, or have some bearing upon, the handling, treatment and disposal of wastes in the Hong Kong SAR.
* Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap 354);
* Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354);
* Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap 28);
* Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132) - Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances (Urban Council) and (Regional Council) By-laws; and
* Dumping at Sea Ordinance (Cap. 466).
Additional Guidelines
Other guidelines which detail how the contractor can comply with the Regulations are listed below for completeness:
* Waste Disposal Plan for Hong Kong (December 1989), Planning, Environment and Lands Branch Government Secretariat;
* Environmental Guidelines for Planning In Hong Kong (1990), Hong Kong Planning and Standards Guidelines, Hong Kong Government;
* New Disposal Arrangements for Construction Waste (1992), Environmental Protection Department & Civil Engineering Department;
* Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes (1992), Environmental Protection Department.
* Works Branch Technical Circular, 32/92, The Use of Tropical Hard Wood on Construction Site; Works Branch, Hong Kong Government;
* Works Branch Technical Circular No. 2/93, Public Dumps, Works Branch, Hong Kong Government;
* Works Branch Technical Circular No. 2/93B, Public Filling Facilities, Works Branch, Hong Kong Government;
* Works Branch Technical Circular No. 16/96, Wet Soil in Public Dumps; Works Branch, Hong Kong Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No. 4/98 & 4/98A, Use of Public Fill in Reclamation and Earth Filling Projects; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government.
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No 5/98, On-site Sorting of Construction Waste on Demolition Site; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Waste Reduction Framework Plan, 1998 to 2007, Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau, Government Secretariat, 5 November 1998;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No. 25/99, 25/99A and 25/99C, Incorporation of Information on Construction and Demolition Material Management in Public Works Sub-committee Papers; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No. 12/2000, Fill Management; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No 29/2000, Waste Management Plan. Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No 19/2001, Metallic Site Hoardings and Signboards; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No 12/2002, Specifications Facilitating the Use of Recycled Aggregates. Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Works Bureau Technical Circular No 21/2002, Trip-ticket System for Disposal of Construction and Demolition Material; Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Environment, Transport and Work Bureau Technical Circular (Works) No. 33/2002, Management of Construction and Demolition Material Including Rock, Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government;
* Environment, Transport and Works Bureau Technical Circular No 34/2002, Management of Dredged/Excavated Sediment. Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government.
* Guideline Notes for Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Sites of: Petrol Filling Stations; Boatyards; and Car Repair/Dismantling Workshops, Environmental Protection Department; and
1.4 APPLICATION OF LICENCES
The Contractor will apply for, and maintain all the following permits and licences required under the legislation for the handling and disposal of waste arising from the Contract.
* Public Dumping Licence under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap 28);
* Any person that produces chemical waste is required to register with EPD under the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354);
* Dumping At Sea Ordinance (DASO) permit.
The Contractor will ensure that these licences and permits will be available prior to the commencement of any site works. A summary of the licence information will be kept at the Contractor's site office.
2 ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
This Section provides an outline of the roles and responsibilities of the main contractual parties involved with the management of wastes arising from the Contract.
2.2 PROJECT ORGANISATION
The Contractor's Project Manager will have overall responsibility to ensure the requirements of the WMP are properly implemented. He will act as the Waste Manager for the Contract. The Site Manager (Deputy Waste Manager) and Environmental Team will be responsible for conducting periodic audits to ensure compliance with the WMP. The Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) will be responsible for periodically reviewing the performance of the Contractor. The responsibilities of key site staff for the management of the WMP are as follows:
Independent Environmental Checker
The IEC will review the performance of the Contractor and the Environmental Team and be responsible for carrying out regular checks, as part of the regular audit programme, on the implementation of the WMP and associated documentation.
Contractor/Site Manager (Waste Manager)
The Site Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Site, having overall control of the Site practices in relation to waste management and mitigation. He will be responsible for assigning a foreman to assist him in his day-to-day supervision and enforcement of the on-site waste management practices. The Site Manager will be responsible for:
* the identification and classification of all possible waste types arising from the construction activities;
* maintaining records of waste types, quantities and disposal locations.
* obtaining all necessary licenses and permits for the handling and disposal of wastes;
* arranging on-site segregation, sorting and storage of waste;
* arranging for the collection and disposal of waste;
* ensuring that the on-site waste management practices are in compliance with the Government legislation and regulations and the requirements of the Contract;
* regularly reviewing and updating the WMP;
* organising waste management training to all site staff (including sub-contractor's staff on-site); and
* proposing and implementing corrective actions in the event of non-conformance with the WMP.
Environmental Team
The Environmental Team will be responsible for:
* undertaking independent monitoring and auditing of the Contractor's performance in waste management with respect to the WMP; and
* reporting any cases of non-compliance to the IEC and Towngas.
3 IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF WASTE GENERATED
FROM THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
3.1 CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
Major construction activities with potential for waste generation include:
* construction works for landing point and open trenches for the onshore portion of the gas pipelines; and
* dredging of Mirs Bay for the installation of the submarine gas pipelines.
3.2 WASTE ARISING FROM THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
The construction activities identified under Section 3.1 will result in the generation of a variety of waste which can be divided into distinct categories based on their composition, as follows:
* dredged marine sediment;
* excavated material;
* construction and demolition (C&D) waste;
* chemical waste from construction equipment;
* sewage for site staff; and
* general refuse.
The nature of these waste types is identified below. The proposed measures for waste minimisation, reuse and recycling of each waste type are also described.
3.2.1 Construction and Demolition Materials
C&D Material will mainly comprise sand and rock arising from the construction of the landing point and open trenches for the onshore portion of the gas pipeline. It is estimated that approximately 270m3 of excavated materials will be generated from the construction of the landing point. Assuming 50% (ie 135m3) of these materials could be used for backfilling, the remaining 50% would require transportation off-site. The construction period for the landfill portion is expected to last for about seven days and hence approximately 19m3 day-1 of surplus excavated material will be generated. This will be associated with about 3 truck trips per day for transporting the materials off-site.
The volume of excavated material to be generated from the open trenches for the pipeline running along the sea front walkway is estimated to be 2,900m3. The construction period is expected to last about 180 days. Assuming 50% of these materials could be used for backfilling, 8m3 per day of surplus excavated materials will be need to be transported off-site with relates to approximately 1 truck trip per day.
In summary, a total of about 3,200m3 of surplus excavated materials will be generated within a period of 180 days, of which approximately 50% could be used for backfilling. All of these materials are expected to be inert and could be reused at other reclamation or land formation projects.
For the vehicular transport of waste or public fill materials, a waste recording system will be established in accordance with the WBTC No. 21/2002.
3.2.2 Dredged Marine Sediment
Dredged marine sediment will be generated during dredging associated with the gas pipeline installation within Mirs Bay. The total volume of dredged sediment is estimated to be 220,000m3, with the dredging works.
Based on the results of the marine sediment quality sampling conducted by the EPD1 in Mirs Bay (MS17 and MS5), all sediments are classified as Category L (uncontaminated). As the dredged marine sediments are classified as uncontaminated, the materials could be transported and disposed of either at the East Nine Pin Disposal Area or South Cheung Chau Disposal Area. The final allocation of the disposal site will be agreed with the DEP in conjunction with the Marine Fill Committee. In addition, further sampling and testing of marine sediments is likely to be required by the DEP in conjunction with the application for the DASO permit. The uncontaminated materials will be dredged and transported with great care in accordance with the ETWBTC No 34/2002 and DASO permit.
3.2.3 Chemical Waste
Chemical Waste will primarily arise from the maintenance of plant and equipment and may typically include the following:
* scrap batteries or spent acid/alkali from their maintenance;
* used paint, engine oils, hydraulic fluids and waste fuel;
* spent mineral oils/ cleaning fluids from mechanical machinery; and
* spent solvents/solutions, some of which may be halogenated, from equipment cleaning activities.
Materials classified as chemical wastes will need special handling and storage arrangements before removal by licensed Chemical Waste Collectors for appropriate treatment at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) at Tsing Yi. Wherever possible, opportunities will be taken to reuse and recycle the chemical waste. For example, used lubricating oil will be delivered to licensed recycling facilities in Hong Kong.
Storage, handling, transport and disposal of chemical waste will be arranged in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Waste published by the EPD.
The Contractor will keep records to demonstrate that he has made arrangements for the proper disposal of his chemical waste. Such information will be in accordance to EPD's guidance document A Guide to Chemical Waste Control Scheme.
For the vehicular transport of waste, a waste recording system will be established in accordance with the WBTC No. 21/2002.
3.2.4 Sewage
Sewage will arise from the construction workforce, site office's sanitary facilities and sewage sludge will be generated. The maximum number of construction workers during the peak construction period is expected to be 20. An adequate number of portable toilets should be provided at the onshore worksites to ensure that sewage from the site staff is properly collected. A licensed contractor will be employed to remove the sewage sludge and dispose of it at the Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works.
3.2.5 General Refuse
General refuse will mainly consist of food wastes, aluminium cans and waste paper. Based on a maximum of 20 construction workers and a waste generation rate of 0.65 kg per worker per day, the amount of general refuse requiring disposal is expected to be 13 kg d-1. Recyclable materials (eg paper and aluminium cans) will be separated and collected by recycling contractors. All the refuse bins or containers will be suitable size to avoid over spillage of waste. The non-recyclable waste will be collected and disposed of at landfill or refuse transfer station on daily basis.
For the vehicular transport of general refuse, a waste recording system will be established in accordance with the WBTC No. 21/2002.
4 TRAINING AND BRIEFING REQUIREMENTS
4.1 GENERAL
Appropriate training and briefing will be given by the Site Manager to all site staff including all sub-contractor's staff before the commencement of the works. The content of the training will include the following:
* The steps/requirements of WMP stipulated in the Contract.
* Classification of different waste types in accordance with WMP.
* Proper segregation, handling and storage of different types of waste in accordance with WMP.
* Procedures and measures for waste minimisation, reuse and recycling.
* Locations of designated storage areas for different waste types in accordance with WMP.
* Procedures for handling chemical waste spillage.
* Refreshment training will be given on a yearly basis.
4.2 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
In case of spillage, leaks or accidents arising from the pumping or handling of waste oils the procedures in Appendix G of the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling & Storage of Chemical Waste will be followed.
4.3 RECORD KEEPING
The Site Manager will be responsible for maintaining the following records on-site, and making them available for inspection by the Environmental Team, Towngas and IEC.
* DASO permit(s);
* Record of trip tickets for public fill and construction and demolition materials;
* Record of trip tickets for chemical waste disposed off-site;
* Record of non-compliance of the WMP; and
* Record of corrective action taken to rectify any non-compliance.
5 MONITORING AND AUDIT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN
It is proposed that auditing of each waste stream will be carried out periodically by the Towngas to determine if wastes are being managed in accordance with the WMP. The audits will look at all aspects of waste management including waste generation, storage, recycling, collection and disposal.
Internal audit will be undertaken by the Site Manager on a daily basis to ensure that the WMP is being properly implemented. Should there be any non-compliance, the Site Manager will notify Towngas and IEC within 48 hours. The Site Manager will propose and implement corrective actions to rectify the situation within 72 hours.
The Environmental Team will be responsible for carrying out detailed site inspections on a weekly basis, reporting the results in the monthly EM&A reports.
Table 5a provides a quick checklist for the waste management audit.
Table 5a Waste Management Audit Checklist
|
Activities |
Occasion |
Monitoring Frequency |
If
non-compliance, Corrective Action Required |
|
All necessary DASO permits
have been obtained. |
Before the commencement of
the works on site |
As required |
Site Manager to apply for the necessary
DASO permits prior to disposal of the dredged marine waste. Towngas shall ensure that corrective action
has been taken. |
|
Only licensed waste haulers
are to be used for waste collection. |
Construction works |
Monthly |
The Site Manager will use a
licensed waste hauler. Waste
collection of that particular waste will be temporarily suspended until a
licensed waste hauler is used.
Corrective action should be undertaken within 72 hours. |
|
Records of quantities of
C&DM, public fill, C&D waste generated, recycled and disposed are properly
kept. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team
shall inform the Contractor. The Site Manager shall estimate the missing data
based on previous records and the activities carried out, as well as take
measures to ensure that no further data will be lost. |
|
Wastes are removed from the
Site in a timely manner. General
refuse is collected on a daily basis. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team shall
inform the Contractor. The Site Manager will ensure the waste is removed
accordingly. |
|
Waste storage areas are
properly cleaned and do not cause windblown litter and dust nuisance. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team
shall inform the Contractor. The Site Manager will be responsible for
organising the cleaning of the storage area and/or covering the waste. |
|
Different types of waste
are segregated in different containers or skips to enhance recycling of material
and proper disposal of waste. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team
shall inform the Contractor. The Site Manager will ensure separate
skips/containers are provided and the workers place the waste in the
appropriate containers. |
|
Chemical wastes are stored,
handled and disposed of in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Handling and Storage of Chemical
Wastes, published by the EPD |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team shall
inform the Contractor. The Site Manager shall rectify the problems
immediately. Warning should be given
to the Contractor if corrective actions are not taken within 72 hours and the
Waste Control Group of the EPD will be notified. |
|
Public fill or C&D
waste in dump trucks are properly covered before leaving the Site. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Site Manager shall ensure all trucks
carrying public fill or C&D material are properly covered with a
tarpaulin sheet. |
|
Wastes are disposed of at
licensed sites. |
Construction works |
Weekly |
The Environmental Team
shall inform the Contractor. The Site Manager shall ensure all wastes are
disposed of at the licensed sites.
The Waste Control Group of EPD should be notified if chemical waste
requires disposal, with the application of an appropriate license. |
___________________
(1) 1Marine Water Quality in Hong Kong in 2000, EPD, November 2001.