Old trucks face scrapheap to curb air pollution

Lau Wai-kei spends his days driving a blue dump truck - the very colour everyone wants Hong Kong's sky to be. It is the first and only truck Lau has bought and has helped fund his wedding, home and feed his two children.

But the truck, registered in 1995, is deemed to be among the city's most polluting vehicles, emitting 34 times as many particles as the latest model. The continued use of trucks like Lau's could even threaten lives.

That is why Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday pledged to introduce a HK$10 billion package to remove tens of thousands of the dirtiest vehicles from the streets in phases between now and 2019. It is the largest and most expensive measure ever to clean up the city's air.

As well as offering larger cash incentives for owners to scrap their vehicles than previous, unsuccessful schemes, the vehicle replacement plan will also limit the lifespan of newly registered trucks to a maximum of 15 years.

Officials say a new law would be needed to impose the lifespan limit before they seek lawmakers' approval for the funding.

Besides addressing the problem of what he called "carcinogenic" roadside pollution, Leung also pledged to introduce legislation next year to require all oceangoing vessels to use fuel with lower sulphur content when berthed in the city, a move think tank Civic Exchange called a "major breakthrough" that could reduce the sulphur emissions by up to a third.