Waste to energy – the possibility of a mix-used incinerator

reference project – BIG

Landfills are commonly known as a given site which is treated as a dumping ground where municipal wastes (domestic, commercial, and industrial waste included) and construction wastes are disposed.

Incinerators are a waste treatment process facility which converts waste into ash, gas and heat through thermal treatments/combustion of waste materials. Incineration has the potential of integrating waste to energy technologies where the heat generated may potentially be used to generate energy.

It is evident that Hong Kong is facing an imminent waste issue. More than 6 million tons of municipal wastes are produced on a yearly basis – which is equivalent to an average of 1.33kg of waste per person in Hong Kong per day. The current three active landfills in Hong Kong will be exploited to its maximum capacity in the next year or two. Expansions of existing landfills or the proposal of new landfills are necessary to cater the populations’ needs. But then again, Hong Kong has already 13 closed landfills (some are located extremely close to urban centers), some of which have been converted into a public golf course and others to parks and recreational centers. Yet, what other restoration possibilities are there for closed-down landfills? How can we restore these unused spaces? These are some of the issues one can dig into.

Alternatively, a more sustainable proposal had been made previously – incinerator. But, politicians and legislators have rejected the proposal of an incinerator at Shek Kwu Chau near one of the outlying islands of Cheng Chau. The proposal had passed an environmental impact assessment but was opposed by local residents; the proposal is currently under judicial review. My interests in this are the introduction of an incinerator in Hong Kong – why must it be merely built to function as a tool to process wastes? Hong Kong’s public knowhow of waste and recycling processes is extremely low. We should initiate public engagements. The incinerator can become a waste recycling infrastructure and create energy that can be given back to the grid; it should not be a stand-alone building.