Typhoon Mangkhut: area the size of 12 football fields on former Kai Tak runway to store fallen trees in clean-up struggle

An area the size of 12 football fields on a former runway in Hong Kong will become a dumping ground for trees uprooted by Typhoon Mangkhut, which has left the city with an unprecedented struggle to clean up its streets, the Post has learned.

A government source said four unsold sites on a runway of the old Kai Tak Airport had been designated for tree waste storage, with a fifth under negotiation. According to the source, the five sites would total 10 hectares, equivalent to about 12 football pitches.

By 5pm last Friday, nearly 2,000 trucks had unloaded waste from damaged vegetation on the Kai Tak site, which opened on September 21, the Environmental Protection Department said.

The issue sparked public concern after a green group last week spotted the huge amount of material already filling up a stretch of the runway, with half of another site nearby also occupied.

Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said in response that the government would look for more storage space.