Waste reduction, ‘most effective’

The Government is already testing to find a new disposal site to bury fly ash generated from the solid waste incineration plant. The Coloane hill is one of the options being considered

The Environmental Protection Bureau said that the reduction of waste at the source is one of the most effective means of slowing down the saturation of landfills.
Since Macau has limited land resources, “how to handle garbage in a proper manner has already become an important topic that the SAR Government is highly concerned about,” the bureau said in a press statement.
The Macau Daily Times reported last month that the Government is investigating the possibility of using the Coloane hill as a new disposal site to bury fly ash generated from the solid waste incineration plant.
The Infrastructure Development Office has also confirmed that drilling in the Coloane trail walk is being carried out to “understand the geological data”.
Fly ash is normally more toxic than bottom ash, because of the volatile metals. In most countries, the ash from municipal solid waste is classified as a hazardous material, which is subject to certain stabilisation processes such as adding cement prior to disposal in a well-controlled landfill.
Producing waste without any control will use up “even more land and other kinds of resources in Macau,” the bureau said.
In order to treat waste more effectively, combustible waste will be incinerated. Although the waste can largely be reduced to only one tenth of its original volume after combustion, the bureau pointed out that the by-products generated during the incineration, mainly bottom ash and fly ash, ultimately have to be buried in a landfill.
Since the current landfill will soon be used up, the bureau said, “It’s necessary to study other feasible solutions”.
As a result, the SAR Government will continue to push forward the importance of reducing waste in the first instance, including advocating the 5 Rs - Reject, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle - as well as to carry out related research work on handling waste treatment and fly ash.
The bureau also said that government departments have been “working closely” to promote “reduce waste at the source”, so as to enhance local people’s participation in waste recycling.
However, according to deputy general manager of Companhia de Sistemas de Resíduos (CSR) Hong Cheong Fai, Macau’s recycling volume was “very low”.
Macau produces 700 tonnes of garbage every day, but paper collected from the recycling bins only accounts for 20 tonnes a month, metal cans around 2,000 to 3,000 a month and plastic was “even less”, Hong said late last month.