Replies to Questions from Finance Committee Members

Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04 Reply Serial No.
CONTROLLING OFFICER’S REPLY TO
INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION
ETWB(E)043
Question Serial No.
Head : 44 Environmental Protection Department Subhead(No. & title): 0019
Programme : (1) Waste Facilities
Controlling Officer : Director of Environmental Protection
Director of Bureau : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Question :Would the Government inform this Council:
The breakdown by types of chemical waste treated and to be treated by the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre in
Tsing Yi in the past two years and in the coming year respectively? How much do they account for the annual
total handling capacity of the whole Centre? What is the amount of subsidies provided by the Government for
each type of wastes treated (please give the breakdown)? In which part of the Estimates is the expenditure on
these subsidies shown?
Asked by : Hon. CHOY So-yuk
Reply : The breakdown of waste intake by category at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre in the past two years and
the projection for the coming year is as follows:
2001
2002
2003 (estimate)
Waste Type
(tonnes)
(tonnes)
(tonnes)
Spent etchants (Ammoniacal) 1 750 1 650 1 560
Spent etchants (Non-Ammoniacal) 7 450 7 700 7 650
Acids 2 900 2 650 2 900
Alkalis 1 700 1 500 1 350
Toxic metal solutions 1 500 1 250 1 300
Solvents 3 300 2 700 2 900
Land based waste oil 6 700 7 150 6 800
MARPOL waste 37 300 27 500 30 140
Others 400 350 400
Total 63 000 52 450 55 000
As the design capacity of the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre is 100,000 tonnes per year, the chemical waste
intake for the past 2 years accounted for 63% and 52.5% of the design capacity respectively, while the intake for
2003 is expected to be 55%.
It is not possible to give a breakdown of the subsidies for treating different types of chemical waste because the
costs and subsidies vary depending on the chemical composition and treatment system used and these variables
can change with each consignment of waste. In 2002-03, the overall subsidy to chemical waste producers for
treating chemical waste at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre was about $132 million, which is not shown in
the Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04.
Gototop
Signature
Name in block letters ROBERT J. S. LAW
Post Title Director of Environmental Protection
Date 20 March 2003