New | Incinerator and landfill expansions are a must, says Bernard Chan

Building a waste incinerator and expanding the landfills are the only ways to prevent the city becoming a rubbish city, and the proposed measures must be approved soon, says the chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development.

“There is no possibility that incineration will not be part of our waste management [programme],” said Bernard Chan, who is also a member of the Executive Council.

“Even if it is approved today, it will take time to build and even when it is built, will only treat one-third of the city’s waste. Our landfills are almost at capacity,” he told local radio on Thursday.

Chan said he understood the pains of residents who live near the city’s three landfills but suggested there were “no other methods of processing” available now.

“All three measures [landfill, incineration and recycling] will be needed or the city will very quickly become a city of rubbish.

His statement comes five days before the government again attempts to seek support from lawmakers to build the incinerator and extend the city's three landfills.

Lawmakers rejected the landfill expansion plans last year, while the plan for the incinerator in Shek Kwu Chau faces a court challenge and widespread opposition by nearby residents.