|
Consultancy Ref.: AFCD/FIS/02/19 Consultancy Service
for Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Designation of New Fish Culture
Zones Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for Establishment of Fish Culture Zone at Mirs
Bay November
2022 |
This Section
identifies the potential waste management implications arising from the
construction and operation of the Project and the potential environmental
impacts associated with the storage, handling, transportation and disposal of
the wastes with reference to the criteria and guidelines as stated in the
requirements in Clause 3.4.6 and Appendix E Requirements for Assessment of Waste Management Implications of the
Study Brief, as well as Annex 7 and Annex 15 of the EIAO-TM.
The
criteria for evaluating waste management implications are stated in Annex 7 of the EIAO-TM. Annex 15 of the EIAO-TM prescribes the general approach and methodology for
assessing the waste management implications caused by a project or proposal.
The following
legislation covers the handling, treatment and disposal of wastes in Hong Kong
which are relevant to the types of waste to be generated from the Project, and
has been considered in the assessment.
§ Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO) (Cap
354);
§ Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste)
(General) Regulation (Cap 354C);
§ Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap
353);
§ Land (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Ordinance (Cap 28);
§ Public Health and Municipal
Services Ordinance - Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation
(Cap 132BK);
§ Merchant Shipping (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Ordinance (Cap 413); and
§ Waste Disposal (Charging for
Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021.
The WDO prohibits the unauthorised disposal
of wastes, with waste defined as any substance or article which is
abandoned. Under the WDO, wastes can only be disposed of at
licensed waste disposal sites. A breach
of these regulations can lead to the imposition of a fine and / or a prison sentence. The WDO
also provides for the issuing of licences for the collection and transport of
wastes.
The Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of
Construction Waste) Regulation defined construction waste as any substance,
matters or things that are generated from construction work and abandoned,
whether or not it has been processed or stockpiled before being abandoned, but
does not include any sludge, screening, or matter removed in or generated from
any desludging, desilting or dredging works.
The Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme
came into operation on 1 December 2005.
Processing of account applications by the EPD started on the same
day. A Contractor who undertakes
construction work with value of HK$1 million or above is required to open a
billing account solely for the contract.
Charging for the disposal of construction waste started on 20 January
2006.
Depending
on the percentage of inert materials in the material, construction waste can be
disposed of at public fill reception facilities, construction waste sorting
facilities, landfills and outlying islands transfer facilities, where differing
disposal costs would be applied. This
scheme encourages waste reduction and hence minimise the costs of the
Contractor or the Project Proponent.
Table
6.1
summarises the Government waste disposal facilities for construction waste and
various charge levels.
Table 6.1 Government Waste Disposal
Facilities for Construction Waste
|
Government Waste Disposal Facilities |
Type of Construction Waste Accepted |
Charge per Tonne (a) |
|
Public fill reception facilities |
Consisting entirely of inert construction waste (b) |
HK$71 |
|
Sorting facilities |
Containing more than 50% by weight of inert construction
waste (b) |
HK$175 |
|
Landfills (c) |
Containing not more than 50% by weight of inert
construction waste (b) |
HK$200 |
|
Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities (c) |
Containing any percentage of inert construction waste (b) |
HK$200 |
|
Notes: (a) Except for the Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities, the minimum charge
load is 1 tonne, i.e. if a load of waste weighs 1 tonne or less, it will be
charged as 1 tonne. A load of waste weighing
more than 1 tonne will be charged at 0.1 tonne increment. For Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities,
the charge is $20 per 0.1 tonne and the minimum charge load is 0.1
tonne. (b) Inert construction waste means rock, rubble, boulder, earth, soil, sand,
concrete, asphalt, brick, tile, masonry or used bentonite. (c) If a load of waste contains construction waste and other wastes, that
load will be regarded as consisting entirely of construction waste for the
purpose of calculating the applicable charge. |
||
Chemical
waste as defined under the Waste Disposal
(Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation includes any substance being scrap
material, or unwanted substances specified under Schedule 1 of the Regulation, if such a substance or chemical
occurs in such a form, quantity or concentration so as to cause pollution or
constitute a danger to health or risk of pollution to the environment.
Chemical
waste producers shall register with the EPD.
Any person who contravenes this requirement commits an offence and is
liable to a fine and imprisonment.
Producers of chemical wastes must treat their wastes, utilising on-site
plants licensed by the EPD or have a licensed collector take the wastes to a
licensed facility. For each consignment
of wastes, the waste producer, collector and disposer of the wastes must sign
all relevant parts of a computerised trip ticket. The system is designed to allow the transfer
of wastes to be traced from cradle-to-grave.
The Regulation prescribes the storage
facilities to be provided on site including labelling and warning signs. To minimise the risks of pollution and danger
to human health or life, the waste producer is required to prepare and make
available written procedures to be observed in the case of emergencies due to
spillage, leakage or accidents arising from the storage of chemical
wastes. He / she must also provide
employees with training in such procedures.
Under Section 10 of the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance, the Director of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation could provide instructions to licensees in writing
regarding the disposal or destruction of any fish within any site found or
suspected to be suffering from any infectious disease, or the disposal of any
noxious or waste matter resulting from the fish collection or fish
harvest. It is the existing
practice/license condition for marine fish culture licensees under Cap. 353 to
dispose of the anticipated waste arising (e.g. general refuse, floating refuse,
organic wastes, etc.) at Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)'s
refuse collection points during construction and operation phases.
The
inert portion of construction waste ([1])
(also called public fill) may be taken to public fill reception
facilities. Public fill reception
facilities are operated by the Civil Engineering and Development Department
(CEDD). The Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance requires that
individuals or companies who deliver public fill to the public fill reception
facilities need to obtain Dumping Licences.
The licences are issued by the CEDD under delegated authority from the
Director of Lands.
Under
the licence conditions, public fill reception facilities will only accept inert
earth, soil, sand, rock, boulder, rubble, brick, tile, concrete, asphalt,
masonry or used bentonite. In addition, in
accordance with paragraph 11 of Development
Bureau (DevB) Technical Circular (Works) (DevB TC(W)) No. 6/2010), the
Public Fill Committee will advise on the acceptance criteria (e.g. no mixing of
construction waste, nominal size of the materials less than 250mm, etc). The material should, however, be free from
marine mud, household refuse, plastic, metal, industrial and chemical wastes,
animal and vegetable matter and any other materials considered unsuitable to the
public fill reception facility.
This
Regulation provides further control on the illegal dumping of wastes on
unauthorized (unlicensed) sites. The
illegal dumping of wastes can lead to a fine and / or imprisonment.
The
Merchant Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance and its
subsidiary regulations prohibit the discharge of wastewater and garbage from
vessels.
Hong Kong
has implemented the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships 1973 as amended by the 1978 Protocol (universally known as MARPOL)
and the MARPOL related requirements are mainly implemented under the Merchant
Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance. Under the requirements, liquid oil waste or
any other mixtures which contain oil and noxious liquid substances or any such
residues shall not be discharged into the sea.
In Hong Kong, the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) is the reception
facility for oily waste discharged from vessels.
Other
relevant guidance documents, which detail how the Project Proponent or the
Operator should comply with the local regulations, are as follows:
§ Waste Disposal Plan for Hong
Kong (December 1989), Planning, Environment and Lands Branch Government
Secretariat, HKSAR Government;
§ Code of Practice on the
Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes (1992), EPD, HKSAR
Government;
§ Hong Kong Planning Standards
and Guidelines (2021), Planning Department, HKSAR Government;
§ WBTC No. 2/93 - Public Dumps,
Works Branch, HKSAR Government;
§ WBTC No. 2/93B - Public
Filling Facilities, Works Branch, HKSAR Government;
§ WBTC No. 16/96 - Wet Soil in
Public Dumps, Works Branch, HKSAR Government;
§ Waste Reduction Framework Plan,
1998 to 2007, Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau, Government Secretariat, 5
November 1998;
§ WBTC No. 4/98 and 4/98A - Use
of Public Fill in Reclamation and Earth Filling Projects, Works Bureau, HKSAR
Government;
§ WBTC No. 12/2000 - Fill
Management, Works Bureau, HKSAR Government;
§ WBTC No. 19/2001 - Metallic
Site Hoardings and Signboards; Works Bureau, HKSAR Government;
§ WBTC No. 12/2002 -
Specifications Facilitating the Use of Recycled Aggregates, Works Bureau, HKSAR
Government;
§ Project Administration
Handbook for Civil Engineering Works, Section 4.1.3 of Chapter 4 - Management
of Construction and Demolition Material Including Rock, HKSAR Government; and
§ DevB TC(W) No. 6/2010 - Trip
Ticket System for Disposal of Construction & Demolition Materials, Development
Bureau, HKSAR Government.
It should
be noted that the establishment of FCZ is not categorised as a public works
contract. As such, ETWB TC(W) No.
19/2005 - Environmental Management on Construction Sites is not applicable
for this Project.
During the
construction phase, no barging points, conveyor system and stockpiling areas
would be used. The main activities
include on-site assembly and anchoring of fish rafts / cages, and installation
of auxiliary facilities, such as storages and shelters for contractor(s) ([2])
on some of the fish rafts. These
activities will potentially result in the generation of wastes.
The typical
waste types associated with these activities include:
§ General refuse from construction workforce; and
§ Floating refuse entrapment.
The fish
rafts / cages will be manufactured off-site and thus no on-site construction of
the fish rafts / cages will be involved.
The fish rafts / cages will be towed to the FCZ directly by tug boats
on-site assembly and anchoring, no heavy construction plant would be used, and
as such no construction and demolition (C&D) materials (both inert and
non-inert) and chemical waste are anticipated to be generated at the Project
site. Non-inert C&D materials (e.g.
wooden pallets, bamboo, timber, packaging wastes, metals, etc.) would not be
anticipated from the Project construction works. The general refuse and floating refuse as
discussed in detail below will be generated during the construction phase which
normally last about a few weeks for each fish raft and is expected to commence
in 2024, subject to the application and approval of the new marine fish culture
licence.
General
refuse, such as food waste, aluminium cans, plastic bottles, waste paper and
glass bottles, will be generated from the licensed contractor(s) during the
construction and anchorage of fish rafts and cages which require off-site
disposal. The storage of general refuse
has the potential to give rise to adverse environmental impacts, if not
properly managed. These include odour if
the general refuse is not collected frequently, floating / windblown litter and
visual impact.
Assuming
there will be no more than 40 licensed contractor(s) and workers participated
in the construction of the FCZ area each day, with a general refuse generation
rate of 0.65 kg per worker per day, the maximum amount of general refuse to be
generated will be approximately 26 kg per day.
It is anticipated that the duration of construction of each fish raft,
including towing the fish rafts / cages to the Site, assembly and anchoring of
the fish rafts / cages and provision of auxiliary facilities are expected to be
completed within a few weeks.
To reduce
the quantity of general refuse to be disposed of at landfill, recyclable
materials (i.e. paper, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and glass bottles) will
be segregated on-site and delivered to recyclers, as far as practicable. Adequate number of enclosed waste containers
will be provided on the marine vessels to avoid over-spillage of waste /
recyclable materials and accidental spillage of waste / recyclable materials to
the sea. The non-recyclable general
refuse will be collected and transported to the nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353, for example, Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels (1 trip per day), and
ultimately sent to NENT landfill for disposal.
As the quantity of general refuse to be disposed of at landfill is
small, no adverse impact on the operation of the landfill is anticipated.
The waste
disposal arrangement will follow the requirements stipulated under Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) as appropriate.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section
6.5,
no adverse environmental impacts (including potential hazard, dust and odour
emissions, noise and wastewater discharge) caused by storage, handling,
transport and disposal of general refuse are expected.
Floating waste ([3])
may be trapped on the surface of the anchored fish cages, fish rafts and vessels
within the Project site, which will require collection and off-site
disposal. As none of the shorelines
surrounded the Project site is considered vulnerable to accumulation of
floating refuse under both wet and dry seasons ([4]),
the likelihood of entrapment of floating refuse within the Project site is
expected to be low. It is expected that
the amount of floating refuse requiring disposal is approximately 30 kg per
week ([5]). Floating refuse will be collected regularly
and disposed of as general refuse. The
floating refuse collected will be transported to the nearest accessible FEHD
refuse collection points with public pier following the existing practice under
Cap. 353, for example, Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels (1 trip per day), and
ultimately sent to NENT landfill for disposal.
As the quantity of floating refuse to be disposed of at landfill is
small, no adverse impact on the operation of the landfill is anticipated.
For the case
that the floating refuse contains recyclable materials (i.e. paper, plastic
bottles, aluminium cans and glass bottles), the contractor(s) will divert these
materials from landfill disposal using the same waste segregation, storage and
recycling approach as that for recyclable materials from general refuse as
described in Section 6.3.1, as far as practicable.
The waste
disposal arrangement will follow the requirements stipulated under Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) as appropriate.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section
6.5,
no adverse environmental impacts (including potential hazard, dust and odour
emissions, noise and wastewater discharge) caused by storage, handling,
transport and disposal of floating refuse are expected.
The
tentative transportation routings for the disposal of general refuse (including
the floating refuse collected) generated during the construction phase are
shown in Table
6.2. The transportation routings may change
subject to the actual traffic conditions.
It should be noted that public transport will not be used for handling
(including stockpiling, labelling, packaging & storage), collection,
transportation and re-use / disposal of wastes generated under the
Project. Thus, impacts to public transport
is not expected and specific mitigation measure for public transport is
considered not necessary.
Table 6.2 Tentative Transportation Routings for Waste
Disposal of General Refuse during Construction Phase
|
Type of Waste |
Disposal Outlet |
Tentative
Transportation Routing |
|
General
Refuse (including floating refuse) |
Refuse
Collection Point at Wong Shek Pier |
Mirs
Bay à Wong Shek Pier |
During the
operation phase of the Project, no barging points, conveyor system and
stockpiling areas would be used. The
major waste types to be generated potentially from the licensed area within the
Project site include:
§ Organic waste, such as fish feed wastage, fish excretions
and fish carcasses;
§ Chemical waste;
§ General refuse from site operation; and
§ Floating refuse entrapment.
As it is
expected that mariculture activities would not require maintenance dredging or removal
of sediments, generation of marine sediments is not anticipated during the
operation phase. Organic waste, chemical
waste, general refuse and floating refuse as discussed in detail below will be
generated during the operation phase (i.e. during operation of the FCZ).
Organic
waste mainly consists of solid organic materials or debris including uneaten
fish feed, fecal waste from marine organisms, fish carcasses and dead fish
arising from the fish culture operation.
These waste could potentially be harmful to fish species as they are
easily decomposed which boost the nutrient level of water. Hence, these waste should be removed from the
licensed area to avoid affecting the health conditions of cultured fish, as
well as nutrients enrichment within the Project site and to the adjacent water.
The
quantity of fish feed wastage generated from each fish raft is highly variable
depending on a number of factors, including feed type and composition, fish
stocking density, feeding method and feeding rates. The quantity of fish fecal waste, fish
carcasses and dead fish will also be varied with the type and quality of fish
feed applied, cultured species of fish stock and stocking intensity. In any case, it is expected that the quantity
of organic waste generated from the Project site would be no more than 315 kg
per day on average ([6]). The licensed contractor(s) should remove
these waste from the licensed area regularly, especially after the fish feed
was added. In the unlikely case that
significant amount of dead fish occur, the licensed fish farmers would inform
AFCD immediately. AFCD will then liaise
with relevant Government departments (e.g. Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department, Marine Department) to collect the dead fish from the Project site
directly as necessary.
The
collected marine debris and dead fish will be treated with disinfectant or
other pharmaceutical drugs, and will be placed in enclosed waste containers or
garbage bags located within the Project site.
These organic waste will be transported to the nearest accessible FEHD
refuse collection points with public pier following the existing practice under
Cap. 353, for example, Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels (a few trips per day),
and ultimately sent to NENT landfill for disposal.
The waste
disposal arrangement will follow the requirements stipulated under Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) as appropriate.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section
6.5,
no adverse environmental impacts (including potential hazard, dust and odour
emissions, noise and wastewater discharge) caused by storage, handling,
transport and disposal of organic waste are expected.
It
is anticipated that a small amount of chemicals, including pharmaceutical drugs
/ antibiotics / vaccines and chemical disinfectant, will be stored and used for
treating diseased fish and disinfection of operation waste and equipment,
resulting in generation of chemical wastes such as empty chemical containers
and syringes. Chemical waste, such as
lubricant oil, may also be generated due to maintenance of powered mechanical
equipment. The amount of chemical waste
generated will depend on the frequency of chemical usage and number of
equipment used on site. Nevertheless, the quantity of chemical waste to be
generated is expected to be insignificant (about a few cubic metres per
month). These chemical wastes will be
collected by a licensed chemical waste collector regularly (about 1-2 trips per
month) and delivered to the licensed chemical waste treatment facilities (i.e.
CWTC) at Tsing Yi via marine vessels for disposal at the CWTC at Tsing Yi. With the incorporation of suitable
arrangements for the storage, handling, collection and transportation and
disposal of chemical waste under the requirements stated in the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General)
Regulation and the Code of Practice
on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes, no adverse
environmental (including air and odour emissions, noise and waste water
discharge) impacts and hazards are anticipated.
General
refuse will arise from the licensed contractor(s) and occasional visitors during
site operation. General refuse may consist of food waste, plastics, aluminium
cans, papers and glass bottles, which require proper storage for off-site
disposal. The storage of general refuse
has the potential to give rise to adverse environmental impacts, if not
properly managed. These include odour if
the general refuse is not collected frequently, floating / windblown litter and
visual impact.
It is
expected there will be no more than 50 contractor(s) supporting the mariculture
operation as well as occasional visitors at the Project site at any one
time. With a general refuse generation
rate of 0.65 kg per worker per day, the total amount of general refuse
generated from the licensed area is estimated to be approximately 32.5 kg per
day.
To reduce
the quantity of general refuse to be disposed of at landfill, recyclable
materials (i.e. paper, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and glass bottles) will
be segregated on-site and delivered to landside recyclers, as far as
practicable. Adequate number of enclosed
waste containers will be provided on site (e.g. marine vessels, communal rafts)
to avoid over-spillage of waste / recyclable materials and accidental spillage
of waste / recyclable materials to the sea.
The non-recyclable general refuse will be collected and transported
(together with the organic waste) to the nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353, for example, the Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels (1 trip per day), and
ultimately sent to NENT landfill for disposal.
Given that the quantity of general refuse to be disposed of at landfill
is low, no adverse impact on the operation of the landfill is anticipated.
The waste
disposal arrangement will follow the requirements stipulated under Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) as appropriate.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section
6.5,
no adverse environmental impacts (including potential hazard, dust and odour
emissions, noise and wastewater discharge) caused by storage, handling,
transport and disposal of general refuse are expected.
Floating refuse may be
trapped on the surface of fish cages, fish rafts and vessels within the Project
site. However, since none of the
shorelines surrounded the Project site is considered vulnerable to accumulation
of floating refuse under both wet and dry seasons, the quantity of floating refuse
trapped within the Project site during the operation stage is expected to be
low (~ 60 kg per week) ([7]). Floating refuse will be collected regularly
(1 trip per day), handled, stored, recycled and disposed of as general refuse
as described in Section 6.4.3.
Given that the quantity of floating refuse to be disposed of
at landfill is low, no adverse impact on the operation of the landfill is anticipated.
The waste
disposal arrangement will follow the requirements stipulated under Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) as appropriate.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section
6.5,
no adverse environmental impacts (including potential hazard, dust and odour
emissions, noise and wastewater discharge) caused by storage, handling,
transport and disposal of floating refuse are expected.
The tentative transportation
routings for the disposal of organic waste, general refuse (including the
floating refuse collected) and chemical waste generated during the operation phase
are shown in Table
6.3. The
transportation routings may change subject to the actual traffic
conditions. It should be noted that
public transport will not be used for handling (including stockpiling,
labelling, packaging & storage), collection, transportation and re-use /
disposal of wastes generated under the Project.
Thus, impacts to public transport is not expected and specific
mitigation measure for public transport is considered not necessary.
Table
6.3 Tentative
Transportation Routings for Waste Disposal of Various Waste during Operation
Phase
|
Type of Waste |
Disposal Outlet |
Tentative Transportation Routing |
|
Organic
Waste |
Refuse
Collection Point at Wong Shek Pier |
Mirs Bay à Wong Shek
Pier |
|
General
Refuse (including floating refuse) |
||
|
Chemical
Waste |
Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) |
Mirs Bay à Licensed
Chemical Waste Collector à
Tathong Channel à
Victoria Harbour à
CWTC |
The various
waste management options are categorised in terms of preference from an
environmental viewpoint. The options
considered to be most preferable have the least environmental impacts and are
more sustainable in the long term. The
hierarchy is as follows:
§ Avoidance
and reduction;
§ Re-use
of materials;
§ Recovery
and recycling; and
§ Treatment
and disposal.
The above
hierarchy has been used to evaluate and select waste management options. The aim has been to reduce waste generation and
reduce waste handling and disposal costs.
The contractor(s) shall implement the following control measures:
Under
Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353):
o Submit
an Environmental Management Plan under the Fish Farm Operational Plan (see Appendix 2A for details) on the
control of environmental impacts from the mariculture activities for agreement
with AFCD;
o Disposal
or destruction of any fish within any site found or suspected to be suffering
from any infectious disease;
o Disposal
of any noxious or waste matter resulting from the fish collection or fish
harvest.
Under
Merchant Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance (Cap. 413):
o Liquid
oil waste or any other mixtures which contain oil and noxious liquid substances
or any such residues shall not be discharged into the sea;
o Oily
waste from vessels should be discharged to CWTC.
They will
also consult AFCD for the final disposal of wastes and, as appropriate,
implement the good site practices and mitigation measures recommended in this EIA
Report and those given below.
§ Nomination
of approved personnel (e.g.
environmental officer of the contractor(s), representative of the project
proponent) to be responsible for good site practices,
arrangements for collection and effective disposal to an appropriate facility
of all wastes generated at the site;
§ Training
of site personnel in proper waste management and handling procedures by AFCD;
§ Provision
of sufficient waste disposal points and regular collection for disposal;
§ Appropriate
measures to reduce windblown / floating litter and dust during transportation
of waste by transporting wastes in enclosed containers; and
§ A
recording system (e.g. log book for mariculture operation) for the amount of
wastes generated, recycled and disposed of and the disposal sites for checking
by AFCD.
The
assessment indicates that with the implementation of the waste management
practices at the Project site, no adverse environmental impacts are envisaged
for the handling, collection and disposal of waste arising during the
construction phase of the Project.
This Section
further describes the good construction site practices to avoid or further
reduce the potential environmental impacts associated with the handling,
collection and disposal of general refuse and floating refuse arising from the
construction works.
The
contractor(s) must ensure that all the necessary waste disposal permits or
licences are obtained prior to the commencement of the construction works.
General
refuse (including the floating refuse collected) will be stored in enclosed
bins. The garbage bins will be placed at
appropriate locations to facilitate disposal by the contractor(s) on site. The contractor(s) will be prohibited from
throwing rubbish into the sea and adequate bins will be provided on the Project
site and marine vessels. General refuse
will be delivered for offsite disposal on a regular basis to reduce odour, pest
and litter impacts. General refuse will
be collected and disposed of at the nearest accessible FEHD refuse collection
points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap. 353 (e.g.
Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels), and ultimately sent to NENT landfill for
disposal. General refuse requiring
disposal will be collected in designated garbage bags after the official
implementation of MSW charging scheme.
Recycling
bins with proper labelling will be provided at appropriate locations to
facilitate collection of recyclable materials (including aluminium can, plastic
bottles and paper) from the Project site.
Materials recovered will be sent to authorised recyclers.
To avoid
entrapment of floating refuse within the Project site, the fish cages / rafts
and vessels should be properly designed such that there are no sharp turns or
abrupt indentation in order to avoid or minimise any trapped or accumulated
refuse. With the proper design of fish
cages / rafts and vessels, entrapment of floating refuse and the need for its
subsequent disposal can be minimised.
Public
transport will not be used for handling (including stockpiling, labelling,
packaging & storage), collection, transportation and re-use / disposal of
wastes generated under the Project.
Thus, impacts to public transport is not expected and specific
mitigation measure for public transport is considered not necessary.
Prior to
the commencement of the construction works, AFCD will provide training to the
contractor(s) on the concepts of site cleanliness and appropriate waste
management procedures, including waste reduction, re-use and recycling. In particular, the training will emphasize no
dumping of waste into the sea is allowed, particularly within the licensed area
and on marine vessels.
Effective
management of feed with the application of modern feeding practices and
technologies can minimise fish feed wastage and the subsequent negative impacts
to the environment. Good quality feed,
such as pellet feed, should be used for feeding instead of trash fish as it
effectively reduces the feed conversion ratio, and thus the quantity of uneaten
feed wastage. Depending on the cultured
species and the stocking intensity, optimal feed input should be implemented while the fish feed should be
even distributed within the licensed area.
The feed will also be sieved to remove broken pieces and dust before
feeding. The
contractor(s) will keep detailed operational records for each licensed area
including the type and quantity of feed used, estimated number of fish stock
and biomass, water temperature and growth rates of cultured organisms to allow
more accurate estimation of fish feed input and to minimise unnecessary wastage
of feeds. The contractor(s) and other
personnel are also required to take all precautions to prevent spillage during
the delivery of feed to the Project site.
The uneaten feeds should be cleaned up immediately, especially during
summer times when the decomposition of organic waste is more rapid, so as to
minimise leaching to the adjacent water.
The quantity of feed delivered to the licensed area will also be
recorded in order to ensure an appropriate quantity of feed stock is procured. Feed will be stored in covered areas on the
fish rafts within the licensed area to avoid exposure to external climatic and
weather conditions that might result in unnecessary spillage and spoilage.
Organic
waste including residue feed, fish carcasses, fecal waste and dead fish will be
removed from the licensed area after each feeding process and the waste will be
stored in enclosed bins. The treated
organic waste will be securely sent offsite to the nearest accessible FEHD
refuse collection points with public pier suitable refuse following the
existing practice under Cap. 353, for example, Wong Shek Pier via marine
vessels, and ultimately to NENT landfill for disposal. Designated garbage bags will be used to
collect the organic waste after the official implementation of MSW charging
scheme.
Public
transport will not be used for handling (including stockpiling, labelling,
packaging & storage), collection, transportation and re-use / disposal of
wastes generated under the Project.
Thus, impacts to public transport is not expected and specific
mitigation measure for public transport is considered not necessary.
In case of
large quantity of organic waste generated as a result of extensive fish deaths,
for example, due to algal bloom or fish diseases, the contractor(s) will report
to AFCD in due course, and AFCD, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
(FEHD), Marine Department (MD) and other relevant departments will provide
assistance to the contractor(s) to transport the organic waste directly to NENT
landfill for disposal.
The contractor(s) will register as a chemical waste
producer with the EPD. Chemical waste
will be handled in accordance with the Code
of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes as
listed below.
Containers used for storage of chemical wastes will:
§ Be
suitable for the substance they are holding, resistant to corrosion, maintained
in a good condition, and securely closed;
§ Have
a capacity of less than 450L unless the specifications have been approved by
the EPD; and
§ Display
a label in English and Chinese in accordance with instructions prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.
The storage area for chemical wastes will:
§ Be
clearly labelled and used solely for the storage of chemical waste;
§ Be
enclosed on at least 3 sides;
§ Have
an impermeable floor and bunding, of capacity to accommodate 110% of the volume
of the largest container or 20% by volume of the chemical waste stored in that
area, whichever is the greatest;
§ Have
adequate ventilation;
§ Be
covered to prevent rainfall entering (water collected within the bund must be
tested and disposed of as chemical waste, if necessary); and
§ Be
arranged so that incompatible materials are appropriately separated.
Chemical waste will be disposed of:
§ Via
a licensed waste collector; and
§ To
a facility licensed to receive chemical waste, such as the CWTC which also
offers a chemical waste collection service, and can supply the necessary
chemical waste storage containers.
The management of general
refuse (including the floating refuse collected) from the Project site during
the operation phase will be similar to that in the construction phase (see Section
6.5.2.1). General refuse will be stored in enclosed
bins and disposed offsite to the nearest accessible FEHD refuse collection
points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap. 353, for example,
Wong Shek Pier via marine vessels, on a regular basis for avoidance of pest and
odour nuisance. Designated garbage bags
will be used to collect general refuse after the official implementation of MSW
charging scheme. Recycling bins with
proper labelling will be placed at the fish rafts to collect recyclables which
will be transported off-site for recycling via vessels on a regular basis.
To avoid entrapment of floating
refuse within the Project site, the fish cages / rafts and vessels should be
properly designed such that there are no any sharp turns or abrupt indentation
in order to avoid or minimise any trapped or accumulated refuse. With the proper design of fish cages / rafts
and vessels, entrapment of floating refuse and the need for its subsequent
disposal can be minimised.
Public transport will not be used
for handling (including stockpiling, labelling, packaging & storage),
collection, transportation and re-use / disposal of wastes generated under the
Project. Thus, impacts to public transport
is not expected and specific mitigation measure for public transport is
considered not necessary.
Prior to the commencement of
the operation phase, AFCD will provide on-farm training to all staff working at
the Project site on the concepts of sustainable mariculture practice, site
cleanliness and appropriate waste management procedures, including waste
reduction, re-use and recycling. In
particular, the training will emphasize no dumping of waste into the sea is
allowed.
With the
implementation of mitigation measures specified in Section 6.5,
no adverse residual waste management impact is envisaged during the
construction and operation phases of the Project.
No adverse
waste management impact is anticipated during the construction and operation
phases of the Project. To ensure the
waste management performance during construction phase of the Project, EM&A
is recommended to be conducted during construction phase. Site inspections at the Project site (on
marine vessels) are recommended on a regular basis at bi-weekly interval during the time of construction activities by the
Environmental Team (ET) to check if wastes are being managed in accordance with
good site practices and the mitigation measures as recommended in Section
6.5 during the construction phase as part of the EM&A. All aspects of waste management will be
investigated during the regular inspections, including waste generation, storage,
handling, recycling, transportation and disposal, to prevent any dumping of
waste into the sea or malpractice of waste disposal.
During
operation phase, the waste management issues of the Project will be controlled
by licensing under the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353). EM&A is not required to be conducted
during operation phase of the Project.
AFCD will conduct regular inspections at
monthly interval and review on FCZ operation to check if
wastes are being managed in accordance with good site practices and the
mitigation measures as recommended in Section 6.5 during the operation
phase. All aspects of waste management
will be investigated during the regular inspections, including waste
generation, storage, handling, recycling, transportation and disposal, to
prevent any dumping of waste into the sea or malpractice of waste disposal.
With the
implementation of good site practices, adverse environmental impacts (including
potential hazards, air and odour emissions, noise and wastewater discharge)
arising from the management and disposal of waste during the construction and
operation phases are not anticipated.
The
estimated waste arising and the recommend waste management arrangements during
the construction phase and operations phase of the Project are summarised in Table
6.4.
Table 6.4 Summary of Estimated Waste Arisings and Recommended Waste Management
Arrangements
|
Types of Waste |
Approximate Quantity |
Disposal Locations |
|
Construction
Phase |
|
|
|
General refuse |
~ 26 kg per day |
Recyclable materials: on-site sorting and off-site
recycling. Non-recyclable refuse: Nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353 (e.g. Wong Shek Pier), and then transported to NENT landfill for
disposal. |
|
Floating refuse |
~ 30 kg per week |
Recyclable materials: on-site sorting and off-site
recycling. Non-recyclable refuse: Nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353 (e.g. Wong Shek Pier), and then transported to NENT landfill for disposal. |
|
Operation
Phase |
|
|
|
Organic waste |
< 315 kg per day |
Nearest accessible FEHD refuse collection points with
public pier following the existing practice under Cap. 353 (e.g. Wong Shek
Pier), and then transported to NENT landfill for disposal. |
|
Chemical waste |
A few cubic metres per month |
CWTC |
|
General refuse |
~ 32.5 kg per day |
Recyclable materials: on-site sorting and off-site
recycling. Non-recyclable refuse: Nearest accessible FEHD refuse collection
points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap. 353 (e.g.
Wong Shek Pier), and then transported to NENT landfill for disposal. |
|
Floating refuse |
~ 60 kg per week |
Recyclable materials: on-site sorting and off-site
recycling. Non-recyclable refuse: Nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353 (e.g. Wong Shek Pier), and then transported to NENT landfill for
disposal. |
([1]) ”Construction waste” refers to materials arising from any land excavation or formation, civil / building construction, road works, building renovation or demolition activities. It includes various types of reusable materials, building debris, rubble, earth, concrete, timber and mixed site clearance materials. When sorted properly, materials suitable for land reclamation and site formation (known as public fill) should be re-used at public fill reception facilities. The rock and concrete can be crushed and processed to produce aggregates for various civil and building engineering applications. The remaining construction waste (comprising timber, paper and plastics) are to be disposed of at landfills.
([2]) Contractor(s) refer to licensee(s) or the contractor(s) supporting the construction of fish raft structures.
([3]) Floating refuse refers to marine refuse that were washed to, and trapped in the Project site by water current. They are not generated by the Project as licensed contractor(s) are not allowed to dump rubbish into the sea.
([4]) Based on the EPD’s Study Report of Investigation on the Sources and Fates of Marine Refuse in Hong Kong issued in April 2015.
([5]) It should be noted that minimal amount of floating refuse is collected regularly from the existing FCZs. For conservative assessment, it is assumed that a fish cage/ fish raft may trap up to 1 kg per week floating refuse requiring disposal during construction. The Project site is approximately 410 hectares and may support ~30 fish cages/ fish rafts. Therefore, the amount of floating refuse collected is estimated to be approximately 30 kg per week.
([6]) The quantity of organic waste is estimated
based on the mariculture operation at the existing FCZs. With the use of advanced mariculture
operation at the Project site, it is expected that the organic waste generated
will be much lowered.
([7]) It should be noted that minimal amount of floating refuse is collected regularly from the existing FCZs. For conservative assessment, it is assumed that a fish cage/ fish raft may trap up to 2 kg per week floating refuse requiring disposal during operation. The Project site is approximately 410 hectares and may support ~30 fish cages/ fish rafts. Therefore, the amount of floating refuse collected is estimated to be approximately 60 kg per week.