Replies to Questions from Finance Committee Members

Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04
CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO
INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION
Head: 43 - Civil Engineering Department Subhead (No. & title):
Programme: (7) Management of Construction and Demolition Materials
Controlling Officer: Director of Civil Engineering
Director of Bureau: Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Question: Please reply to the following questions related to Programme (7)
“Management of Construction and Demolition Materials”:
(a) What is the unit cost of handling public fill by the Administration?
In the coming 3 years, does the Administration have any plan and
measure to handle and reduce the ever increasing amount of public fill?
If affirmative, what are the details of the plan and the estimated
expenditure?
(b) What is the expenditure in the recycling of inert construction and
demolition materials by the government? Why is the actual quantity
of recycled construction and demolition materials produced less than
that of the original forecast (0.15 m tonnes)? In 2003-04, why does
the forecast production increase?
(c) Please give an account of the long-term strategy being formulated by the
Administration for handling inert construction and demolition
materials and when will it be completed?
Asked by : Hon. LEE Chu-ming, Martin
Reply: (a) The unit cost of handling public fill is about $26 per tonne. In
2003-04, the Administration will mainly rely on reclamation projects
and temporary fill banks to handle public fill. We will continue our
best efforts to reduce the amount of public fill and to recycle hard inert
materials generated. The Public Fill Committee and Works
Departments’ Vetting Committee will scrutinize Construction and
Demolition Materials Management Plan of public works projects. In
2003-04, the Administration has reserved $123.9 m for the
management of construction and demolition materials. We are still
exploring possible measures to tackle the public fill problem after
2003-04, including the possibility for exporting public fill for reuse in
projects outside Hong Kong.
(b) In 2002, the government has spent $26 m for the setting up and $6 m
for the operation of the inert construction and demolition material
recycling facility in Tuen Mun. The 2002 actual production of
50,000 tonnes of recycled aggregates was less than the original
forecast of 150,000 tonnes because most of the projects that generated
inert material during the year produced soft material that is not
suitable for recycling.
In 2003-04, the production of recycled aggregates is forecasted to
increase as several demolition projects (eg. Yuen Long Estate and
North Point Estate) would generate more hard inert materials suitable
Reply Serial No.
ETWB(E)029
Question Serial No.
0534