EFFECT OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE CHARGING SCHEME ON CONSTRUCTION WASTE MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG

摘要

A considerable amount of solid wastes is generated every day from construction and demolition (C&D) activities in Hong Kong. The C&D waste can be classified into inert and non-inert wastes, in which the inert waste is normally disposed of in public fills as reclamation materials, and the non-inert part is dumped at landfills. Under the current waste generation trend, all landfills and public fills in Hong Kong would be used up within the next few years. To tackle this problem, the Hong Kong Government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme (CWDCS) since December 2005, to provide financial incentives to C&D waste generators to reduce waste and encourage reuse and recycling. This paper presents the results of a study to explore the perceptions of the Hong Kong construction industry towards the CWDCS after its 3-years' of implementation. The study was conducted by a questionnaire survey with follow-up interviews of experienced professionals in the building industry. The results revealed that there was no consensus view among the construction participants on methods for C&D waste reduction especially on on-site waste sorting and recycling. The findings also revealed that over 60% of the respondents believed that some waste generation is unavoidable despite a waste disposal charge is imposed. The direct impact of the CWDCS is the physical reduction of waste generated in the construction industry. Also, indirectly, there have been gradual changes from the traditional work practice which are less environmentally friendly to the less waste producing work practices.