Incinerator suggested to beat nasty whiff

Bad smell from landfill blamed on sewage mud

Building an incinerator will help reduce the bad smell spreading from a landfill in Tseung Kwan O, which has been taking sludge from sewage treatment facilities, a senior environment official said yesterday.

The increasing amount of sewage mud dumped on the southeast New Territories landfill may have been worsening the smell that had caused more than 100 complaints from residents, the Environmental Protection Department source said.

'If the sewage sludge was treated by incineration like in Japan and Singapore, the situation would improve,' the source said. 'If we accept using an incinerator, no untreated waste would be disposed of at landfills in the future and the situation would improve.'

The department is now studying possible sites for a thermal treatment facility. Tseung Kwan O or Tuen Mun are among those reportedly being considered.

In Japan and Singapore, all waste must be treated before going to landfills, the source said.

'The sludge is already being burned to ashes when it is disposed. It helps save space in landfills and generates no bad smell.'