A bit behind the drag curve old bean:
SCMP 17 Feb 2011
By Ada Lee and Cheung Chi-fai
Residents on the south side of Lantau and outlying islands warn that the planned incinerator on Shek Kwu Chau could pollute their area. They also ridicule the government's promise of a "clean" incinerator.
Andy Ng Kam-ming and his wife moved to Pui O village from Discovery Bay two months ago to get away from the fireworks smoke from Disneyland.
"It's just following us," he said. "When Disneyland was built and we were living in Discovery Bay, they said the fireworks would not have any impact on us. But that wasn't true - we could smell the smoke."
He is sceptical about the government's promise of an environmentally friendly incinerator. "We can now only hope the public and the media monitor how the incinerator would operate," he said.
Louise Preston, a member of Living Islands Movement and a resident of Cheung Sha village, is worried about the incinerator destroying the beautiful scenery.
"[The incinerator] will be an absolute eyesore," she said. "There're very few places in Hong Kong with such natural beauty, and it's crazy to destroy it."
She did not understand why the incinerator had to be built at Shek Kwu Chau, where infrastructure for trash management was scarce, unlike the other proposed site in Tuen Mun. Preston also doubted the incinerator would be environmentally friendly, saying: "If it's clean, why don't they build it next to the Legco?"
Ho Siu-leung, 31, lives on Cheung Chau and regularly goes camping and fishing on Pui O beach.
He is now worried that construction waste from building the incinerator will pollute the sea, and the smoke from the incinerator affect air quality in the area.
"Air in many places in Hong Kong is not clean anymore. It would be a pity if the air here is polluted as well," he said.
Islands district councillor Lee Kwai-chun, based in Cheung Chau, said there was a chance transportation of rubbish to the incinerator would pollute the sea and was worried winds from the southwest in the summer would carry pollutants to the island.
She dismissed the notion that the incinerator would benefit tourism in Cheung Chau, as suggested by the government. "Tourists may actually turn away from Cheung Chau," she said.
But the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers - which is sponsored by the government and runs a drug rehabilitation centre on Shek Kwu Chau - said they would keep an open mind on the issue.
"In general, SARDA does not object to any project of good intention that benefits Hong Kong community," it said.
Maybe a better way to approach this is to write to the government with a solution to the landfill sites reaching capacity that is making them see incineration as a viable alternative.
Position:
Shek Wu Chau (pop .. not a lot) v Tuen Mun (pop 500,000+). No brainer really.
Fumes:
Don't worry, the prevailing winds will take the fumes away (a light southerly or south westerly should do the trick).
Benefits:
1. Employment opportunities for the crews of barges leaving every 20 minutes in both directions chugging past DB, Lantau South and Chung Chau.
2. The extra lorries required to take the rubbish to the barges.
3. East Asia helis will save fuel by riding the 'thermal hill' created and then autorotating into Macau/Shun Tak. I could go on...
A very selfish attitude to protest against this project.
[... or you can always leave
]