Industrial and Commercial Activities

Rapid growth of industry and commerce in Hong Kong has caused
degradation of the environment. The penalty is being paid in the form of
adverse ecological changes, a heavy but usually hidden financial burden
on the community, and great risks to community health.

The government's pollution-control strategy aims not to compromise
industry and commerce, but to work in partnership with firms so that all
may benefit from a better environment. There are often direct economic
benefits to be gained from activities such as recycling and the adoption of
clean technology in manufacturing. These methods are better than
pollution control techniques that have to be applied after a waste material
has become a potential pollutant.

The government would prefer industry and commerce to recognise the
benefits of waste minimisation and pollution prevention, but it is inevitable
that laws are necessary. The Water Pollution Control Ordinance, which
started with the first effective water control zone in 1987, has been
gradually extended to cover all Hong Kong waters. All effluent discharges
are now under control.

In 1997, the Environmental Protection Department's inspectors made
24 700 inspections of effluent-producing premises. They took more than
6 400 effluent samples and conducted 22 800 laboratory tests. About
1 830 written warnings were issued and 289 prosecutions against the
non-complying dischargers were completed. These enforcement figures
mainly represent inspection of most of the major and top priority
dischargers, which are conducted at least four and eight times a year,
respectively.

These control measures have achieved a cumulative reduction of 6 200
kilograms of organic pollution per day and the problem of waste from
industrial, commercial and institutional premises being discharged into
storm water drains has also been alleviated. A total of 20 900 cubic
metres per day of polluted effluent has been properly diverted to the
sewerage system, which is equivalent to the pollution load from more
than 70 000 people.

Comprehensive controls on the handling and disposal of chemical waste
began in May 1993 with the opening of the Chemical Waste Treatment
Centre and full implementation of the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste)
(General) Regulation. Hong Kong has stopped the formerly widespread
malpractice of dumping chemical waste into the sewers and surface
waters. All chemical waste producers must properly pack, label and store
their chemical wastes before disposal at proper treatment facilities. A trip
ticket system involving the waste producers, licensed collectors and
licensed disposal points, tracks the movement of chemical waste from its
origin to final disposal.

Many factories and commercial activities produce air-borne emissions.
The EPD operates a range of controls under the Air Pollution Control
Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations, including specific controls on
furnaces and chimneys, dark smoke emissions, fuel quality, open burning
and certain industrial processes. A regulation to control dust emissions
from construction works was enacted and implemented in June 1997.

Air pollution arouses great public concern, especially when factories are
near homes. The department investigated 3 683 complaints of air
pollution, and issued 240 legal notices instructing offenders to abate air
pollution. These figures are higher than in the previous year, the number
of abatement notices in particular having increased by 68 per cent.

Some large industrial facilities and processes cause more air pollution than
others. The Air Pollution Control Ordinance specifies these processes,
which must operate under a licence setting out the measures each must
adopt to minimise air pollution. The department has implemented this
control in phases with most specified processes to be licensed by 1998.
By the end of 1997, about 78 per cent of the licences had been issued, in
line with the department's target enforcement performance.

Noise from industrial or commercial activities is controlled by means of
Noise Abatement Notices. The department may serve notice to require the
owners of premises emitting excessive noise to reduce it within a given
period. In 1997, the department investigated around 2 700 complaints and
served some 220 abatement notices, which led to about 70 convictions.
These figures are not high when compared with over 350 000 premises
subject to control, but are a little higher than in 1996.

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