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Garbage Hill | Yuen Long Waste Yard Garbage Hill Suspected of Re-burning Residents Lightly Smearing Hand-stained Ash and Pollution Exceeds Standards

2021-09-27T04:24:56.062Z


Hong Kong’s land is an inch of gold, but Greenpeace revealed earlier this month that huge garbage hills have been discovered on many brownfields in Yuen Long, which can be as high as 8 meters in height. Some of them involve official land. The total area is expected to reach 20 hectares, which is equivalent to a Victoria Park. . green


Hong Kong’s land is an inch of gold, but Greenpeace revealed earlier this month that huge garbage hills have been discovered on many brownfields in Yuen Long, which can be as high as 8 meters in height. Some of them involve official land. The total area is expected to reach 20 hectares, which is equivalent to a Victoria Park. .


Greenpeace further investigated and found that one of the garbage hills in Fengxiang Village, Yuen Long, had at least 4 suspected aluminum and electronic waste treatment plants set up near the "mountain", and one of the residential land (Category D) had not been rezoned.

Although the other two factories were approved to build temporary recycling centers, the factories were suspected of violating operating conditions.


"Hong Kong 01" and Greenpeace inspected the vicinity of the factory and discovered that there was a large aluminum waste processing machine hidden in the site, which was more than two stories high. Noise was constantly emitted during operation. The noise was close to 80 decibels, which is similar to the continuous high speed of diesel freight trains. Drive past.

As for the dust generated during the operation of the workshop, the nearby sky is like a mist, and the concentration of air pollutants such as PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide has exceeded the standard.

Some residents of Fengjiang Village described their lives as nuisances from waste workshops and their husbands suffering from emphysema. In recent years, more and more people in the village are suffering from cancer.


Extended reading:

Garbage Mountain has been proliferating on a large scale in recent years, Greenpeace has repelled loose imports of aluminum scrap and has become a pollution loophole

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Greenpeace revealed earlier this month that at least 35 workshops are suspected to be involved in illegal operations, such as illegal processing of electronic waste, metal waste, and foreign waste, which cover an area of ​​more than 20 hectares.

Eight of the workshops have erected huge garbage hills, which are made up of metal scraps, circuit boards, and suspected "foreign garbage".

The ring team further investigated. One of the garbage hills in Fengjiang Village was suspended for several days at the end of August. It seems that the operation has been suspended for several days. However, work has resumed on September 10, which raises doubts that the Hong Kong government’s enforcement efforts are insufficient and difficult to achieve results.

Huan Tuan recently discovered that the "source" of the garbage hill in Fengjiang Village is suspected to be located at the "Cuiying Xuan" about 200 meters from the "top", where at least two aluminum waste treatment plants have been set up.

It can be seen from satellite pictures that the location of the workshop was still used for skin grafting in 2017. Only the following year, a number of metal houses were suddenly built, equipped with large machines and two blue "trommers", which were more than two stories high.

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Greenpeace quoted residents as saying that large machines and roller screens are used to crush and sort aluminum waste.

At the beginning of last week, the reporter and the ring group inspected the area near the waste workshop. During the operation of the machines in the site, the dust billowed and the blue sky was covered with a layer of mist. I still felt that the dust was so big that it was difficult to breathe through the mask.

As for the brownfield workshop next door, it was covered with dust from the waste workshop.

Mr. Hu (pseudonym), who was engaged in brownfield operations there, swept away the dust on the terrace, his fingers were covered with black powder, and the terrace was covered with dust soon afterwards, and the dust flying everywhere gave off a strange smell.

Mr. Hu said, "When there is a severe burst, the dust will gush down and float out. It is sharp, like a sandstorm." The dust that floats out is even more unpleasant and pungent.

At the beginning of the operation of the nearby workshop, he felt dizzy and uncomfortable when he smelled the odor. "At the beginning, he felt uncomfortable, but at the end, he felt scared and frightened as if he was used to it." Although he was forced to coexist with sand and dust, he was worried about his body problems sooner or later. , "Which is a chronic disease."

Serious complaints about noise in waste workshops for two years but to no avail

In addition to the "sandstorm", Mr. Hu said that waste workshops operate 7 days a week, with serious noise problems, and Sundays are the worst time.

Hu revealed that other nearby brownfield operators complained to the Hong Kong government as early as two years ago, but he noticed that whenever the Environmental Protection Department inspects, the workshops concerned would lower the volume in advance to evade the supervision of the authorities, saying frankly that they were "so helpless." .

Another workshop of "Cui Ying Xuan" was only a few minutes away from the aforementioned workshop. The reporter was looking at the operation of the workshop on the mountain and discovered that there were trucks driving in and unloading trucks after trucks of suspected aluminum scrap.

There were heavy rains in the morning and noon that day, but the leaves of the big trees on the mountain were "whitened" in just a few hours due to the dust from the workshop.

Mr. Wang (pseudonym) has given up in recent years to continue operating the brownfield transportation business near the waste workshop. He said that he noticed that the same truck that would drive into the waste workshop would go in and out of the garbage hill in Fengjiang Village that was discovered earlier. The question is that it is operated by the same group.

He described that after inhaling a large amount of dust for years, the more difficult it was to breathe, and the worsening of his wife’s health. “There was a lot of phlegm in the throat, and the secretions came out at the same night, which was so dark.” He lasted for a year until 2019. Decided to retire from school.

Villagers in Fengjiang Village are suspected of being affected by dust from the waste workshop

Located in Fengjiang Village near two waste workshops, the residence of the resident Ms. Li (pseudonym) is only 5 minutes away from the waste workshop. She is plagued by dust every day. "My husband can’t be courageous (out of the garden). Because I was out of family, I was trembling when I heard the words, and the lung function is not so good. I am not very good, but the family has emphysema." She continued, the air conditioner at home must be kept open. The dust filter will accumulate dust every other week, and even the lines will disappear. In recent years, more and more people in this village are suffering from cancer.

Villagers have also been harassed by the noise from the waste workshop for a long time. Ms. Li said that in the past, the machines in the workshop would operate until 8 to 9 pm. After years of long-term complaints, they were "successfully striving for" the workshop to shut down the machine at 7 o'clock.

However, the nuisance of the noise did not stop. When the workers in the workplace were preparing to work the next day, they would continue to make noises. "If you speak noisy, it will not be noisy, but it will affect your mood." Li Kai sighed to stop work and go home to eat comfortably. Chafan is just an extravagant wish.

The truck carrying aluminum scrap to the workshop is not a compact truck. From time to time, large pieces of aluminum fall out and scattered on the side of the road.

Ms. Li sighed that she had accidentally stepped on metal and slipped twice and injured her waist.

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The concentration of air pollutants in residential and office areas near the waste workshop exceeds the standard

Yesterday (25th) Greenpeace returned to the residences near the two waste workshops and other brownfield operators' offices to inspect and measure the concentration of major air pollutants and noise.

It was found that the concentrations of airborne fine suspended particles (PM2.5), respirable suspended particles (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at the three measurement locations seriously exceeded the levels recommended by the WHO.

Among them, the offices of other brownfield operators near the Cuiyingxuan waste plant measured the concentration of nitrogen dioxide at 288.5 micrograms per cubic meter, which exceeded the WHO recommendation by more than 10 times.

Greenpeace believes that the source of pollutants may come from machine emissions from waste workshops.

High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory mucosa, and can also worsen the condition of patients with chronic respiratory diseases, posing a greater threat to the health of children and the elderly; PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants have a chance to cause breathing And cardiovascular diseases.

Noise from waste workshops is suspected to exceed legal standards

As for noise nuisance, Greenpeace also measured 15 minutes at three locations.

The sound level meter maintains an average of 66 decibels or above, which exceeds the statutory standard of Class B under the "Technical Memorandum on Restriction of Noise in Non-domestic Premises, Non-Public Places or Non-Construction Sites".

As for the highest noise decibels measured in the three premises, they all reached 70 decibels or above.

According to the noise comparison table of the Environmental Protection Department, the level of noise is such as being within 25 meters of a busy road.

Individual waste yard suspected of violating the planned land use

The waste workshop involved is also suspected of violating the planned use of the land. One of the workshops is located on residential (Type D) land and has not been rezoned; while the other waste workshop has been approved to build a temporary recycling center to handle metal and plastics. And plastic bottles, but the operator’s promise of "no noise will affect neighboring places" is clearly inconsistent.

Recently, Greenpeace also found two other waste treatment plants in Ha Village, Yuen Long. One is believed to be newly built, while the other e-waste dismantling plant has existed for at least three years, with people working at night from time to time. The plant has been in the past three years. There have been three fire alarms.

In recent months, these two waste workshops have been granted planning permits for temporary metal recycling centers. Although the conditions for approval are stated, "cannot operate after 8 p.m.," this is an obvious violation of the conditions.

The authorities have issued enforcement notices for the illegal land use of Garbage Mountain

In response, the Planning Department stated that the suspected resurgence of the garbage hill in Fengjiang Village proved to be a violation of land use. Last Thursday (23rd), in accordance with the "Town Planning Ordinance", an "enforcement notice" was issued to relevant parties requesting the suspension of the violation. develop.

As for the recycling of the residential use of the Fengxiang Village workshop, although it is suspected of violating the land use, the relevant use already existed before the development approval area map was first published in the gazette, so it does not constitute an illegal development.

In the two waste yards in Ha Village, the Planning Department stated that the two places were respectively approved as temporary open-air storage and logistics centers for metal waste and temporary metal recycling centers, but with the conditions attached, no medium or heavy weight exceeding 5.5 metric tons should be allowed. Trucks are in and out or parked, and no workshop is allowed on one of the plots.

The authorities stated that they will follow up and inspect. If a violation of the conditions attached to the planning permission is found, the planning permission will be terminated and revoked immediately.

▼The situation of Garbage Mountain in Jiboling Road, Xia Village in August▼


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EPA issues air pollution reduction notice to waste yard

The Environmental Protection Department replied that it had received two complaints about air pollution at the Fengjiang Village Recycling Site in the past year. The authorities have sent staff to investigate the site many times this year. The authorities have issued air pollution reduction notices and will conduct inspections again when the time limit expires.

The authorities are also following up on the pollution problems at Jibo Ling Road, Cui Ying Xuan and Fengjiang Village Aluminum Scrap Yard in Ha Village, Yuen Long. Air pollution reduction notices have been issued to two venues, and the relevant notice will also be issued to another venue.

As for noise, the Environmental Protection Department stated that it has received 8 complaints against the Tsui Ying Xuan recycling yard in the past three years. However, the authorities measured that the operation noise of the recycling yard did not exceed the legal standards, but it has requested the workshop to avoid Saturdays and Sundays as much as possible. And operate at night.

There are two remaining workshops in Xia Village, one of which is a temporary hardware recycling center and the other is a logistics center. After inspections by the authorities, no violations were found.

Garbage Hill | Waste Yards Change Positions to Avoid Regulations Large-scale Proliferation Ring Group Rejects Aluminium Waste Imports Too Loose Brownfields can be repaired and "detoxified" and re-developed, allowing the government to condone chaos

01News

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2021-09-27

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