Demolition work at a building project in Sham Shui Po is creating less noise and non-recyclable waste than traditional methods.
The Housing Society and the Urban Renewal Authority, in their first joint redevelopment project, are using an hydraulic crusher instead of a breaker to bring down buildings. A breaker uses a hammer to punch through walls, while a crusher has a hydraulic clamp that crushes the concrete and separates it from metal foundations.
Chum Hon-sun, the society's general manager for project management, said the breaker noise level was 120 decibels, while the crusher created about 85 decibels.
The project, launched in 2003, involves tearing down 40-year-old buildings in Wai Wai Road and putting up 348 flats by 2010.
Weekly checks found the noise level for nearby residents was 65 to 68 decibels when the crusher was used, while the breaker would record a level of 80 decibels. Busy traffic at a distance of 5 metres away creates 70 decibels.
The crusher also allows debris to be handled separately, which significantly increases the amount of waste being recycled instead of being dumped in a landfill.