Civil Engineering and Development DepartmentThe Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Environment andSustainability Services

Some of the plant species commonly recommended in the Greening Master Plans

Michelia Chapensis Hibiscus rosa sinensis “Yellow”(Hibiscus)

Ixora chinensis(Chinese Ixora)

Rhododendron spp.(Azalea)

Loropetalum chinense ‘Purple Majesty’ (Purple Strap Flower)

Terminalia mantaly(Madagascar Almond)

Liquidambar formosana(Sweet Gum)

Cinnamomum burmannii(Batavia Cinnamon)

GREENING

Greening works contribute to the improvement of air quality in addition to the aesthetic of an area. They are essential to the protection, rehabilitation and enhancement of our landscape and ecological environment, which helps create sustainable environmental outcomes. Apart from fulfi lling the functional requirements of the development projects, the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) has been actively promoting greening through a wide range of initiatives, including (1) development and implementation of the Greening Master Plans (GMPs); (2) greening works associated with infrastructure projects; (3) greening works associated with the Landslip Prevention and Mitigation works; (4) greening works for quarry rehabilitation; and (5) tree risk assessment and management.

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GREENING MASTER PLANS

A Greening Master Plan (GMP) seeks to defi ne comprehensively the greening framework of an area by

studying its characteristics and particular needs, and providing a guide to the planning, design and implementation of greening works. To ensure high-level commitment to the GMPs, each GMP is approved by the Greening Master Plan Committee chaired by the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, and endorsed by the Steering Committee on Greening, Landscape and Tree Management chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works).

Greening Master Plans Planting Ceremonies

2

Before

After

Greening works at central median of Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin

Greening works at breakwater near Sam Shing Estate, Tuen Mun

Before

After

After

Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section) in Central Reclamation Phase III

Before

We promote public participation in the GMP formulation process and adopt the “Enhanced Partnering Approach” whereby each relevant District Council forms a District Participation Group (DPG) to partner with us in reviewing the contents of the GMPs and to advise us on the greening of the districts. The successful implementation of greening measures is made through expertise and coordination of multiple disciplines, including landscape architecture, town planning, civil and traffi c engineering and even public relations. We organise community planting ceremonies and school talks and invite local residents to participate in our planting activities. We believe that public participation not only enables us to tap into valuable local knowledge but also creates a sense of ownership of the GMPs in the community. We have received very encouraging responses and appreciation of our works from the public.

In mid-2011, we completed the greening works recommended in the GMPs for the urban areas. We commenced the greening works recommended in the GMPs for the southeast and northwest New Territories in December 2014 for completion by end 2017. Up to end 2016, we planted about 1890 trees and 1210 000 shrubs in the southeast and northwest New Territories.

Each formulated GMP has its unique theme. For details of the GMPs formulated, please visit the CEDD website (http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/greening/).

Here are photos of some of the completed greening works in urban areas and the New Territories:

G i k b k S Shi

B

Greening works at the southern end Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

3

Repair of landslide scar to match with the neighbouring woodland hillside

GREENING WORKS ASSOCIATED WITHINFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

We provide essential infrastructure to the public with the prime purpose of fulfi lling the community’s growing need for enhanced safety, well-being and quality of living. To this end, most of our infrastructure projects include the provision of extensive planting schemes serving as landscape/ecological enhancement and impact mitigation measures. Such greening works involve planting in a variety of settings like roadsides, footbridges and fl yovers, podiums, slopes, river channels and promenades.

Some of the major infrastructure projects with extensive planting schemes included Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point and Associated Site Formation and Infrastructure Works and Development at Anderson Road. In 2016, approximately 160 000 plants were planted.

GREENING WORKS ASSOCIATED WITHLANDSLIP PREVENTION ANDMITIGATION WORKS

When implementing the slope works under the Landslip Prevention and Mitigation Programme, we pay attention not only to the stability of the slopes but also to their appearance and ecological sustainability. To minimise the visual impact, landscape treatments are provided to all upgraded man-made slopes and engineering works on natural terrain. In pursuit of a naturalistic and environmentally conforming appearance for the upgraded slopes and engineering works on natural terrain, we provide vegetation cover wherever practicable and use hard surface cover only as the last resort on slope stability grounds and as emergency repairs. On average, we plant about 300 000 plants each year in connection with our landslip prevention and mitigation works, and over 90% of the plants are native species.

We published GEO Publication No. 1/2011 – Technical Guidelines on Landscape Treatment for Slopes to promulgate the best landscape treatment practice on slopes, natural terrain mitigation works and landslide repair works.

In order to establish robust, cost-effective, and eco-friendly vegetation covers on slopes, we pursue various research initiatives to improve the slope greening technology. Ongoing research initiatives include the following:• Performance Assessment of Planter Holes for Slope

Works• Performance Assessment of Proprietary Greening

Techniques on Slopes with Hard Facing• Review of Hydroseeding Specifi cation for Slope

Works • Study of Health Conditions of Trees and Undergrowth

on Upgraded Fill Slopes

Based on the research results, we will publish guidelines on good practices of landscape treatment for slope works.

Repair of landslide scar to match ith the neighbo ring oodland hillside

4

Tree inspections and audits for the annual tree risk assessment and management exercise

GREENING WORKS FOR QUARRYREHABILITATION

The plan to rehabilitate quarries was formulated in 1989 as an outcome of the Metroplan Landscape Strategy for Urban Fringe and Coastal Areas, which identifi ed quarries as areas of degraded landscape requiring rehabilitation. The rehabilitation works typically involve major recontouring and extensive planting. Upon completion of the quarry rehabilitation works, attractive greened areas will be formed for a variety of uses benefi cial to the community.

Under an innovative scheme developed by the Government and the quarrying industry, we completed the rehabilitation works at Lamma Quarry in end 2002 and Shek O Quarry in early 2011 and are managing two existing quarry rehabilitation contracts at Anderson Road and Lam Tei. In the course of quarry rehabilitation, slopes are revegetated extensively with suitable vegetation with a long-term objective of creating anticipated climax vegetation communities that will blend ecologically and aesthetically with the surrounding natural vegetation and providing favourable habitats for wildlife. In 2016, we planted about 1 200 plants in connection with our quarry rehabilitation projects.

TREE RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT

To ensure public safety and for sustainable development and tree care, we conducted the annual tree risk assessment and management exercise for approximately 29 000 trees according to the guidelines promulgated by the Tree Management Offi ce in early 2016 prior to onset of the rainy season. The tasks include conduction of tree inspections, tree risk assessments, appropriate mitigation tree works and the related tree audits.

A view of the rehabilitated Lamma Quarry

A view of the rehabilitated Shek O Quarry

5

Tseung Kwan O Fill Bank

Chai Wan Public Fill Barging Point

In the planting schemes, we adopt a mixture of plant species, which includes fast-growing pioneer species to arrest any further soil erosion and native species wherever practicable to allow enhancement of biodiversity. We also continue to exchange knowledge and experience with other government departments to further enhance our effective greening works for different soil erosion situations.

MANAGEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

The composition of construction waste varies, depending on the nature of the construction works. In general, about 90% of it is inert construction materials, also known as public fi ll, which is suitable for reuse in reclamation and earth fi lling works, or recycle for use in other construction works. The remaining non-inert construction waste, subject to recovery of reusable/ recyclable items, is disposed of in landfi lls.

In 2016, our local construction activities generated more than 22.8 million tonnes of public fi ll, 7.8 million tonnes of which were reused and the remaining 15.0 million tonnes were stockpiled in the fi ll banks temporarily for reuse in the future. As at December 2016, we stockpiled about 18.8 million tonnes of public fi ll in the 2 temporary fi ll banks located in Tseung Kwan O Area 137 and Tuen Mun Area 38.

In managing this huge volume of construction waste, our objective is to promote the reduction, reuse and recycling of public fi ll and to prevent public fi ll from being disposed of in landfi lls, which are designed primarily for putrescible waste. Specifi c measures include:• Avoiding and minimising construction waste

generation at sources through better planning, designand construction management

• Implementing Construction Waste Disposal ChargingScheme to provide an economic incentive for wasteproducers to reduce construction waste that requiresdisposal

• Processing/recycling public fi ll• Setting up sorting facilities to facilitate the reuse of

inert materials• Establishing temporary fi ll banks to stockpile surplus

public fi ll temporarily to facilitate later reuse• Setting up barging facilities for collection of surplus

public fi ll and delivery to the fi ll banks• Reusing surplus public fi ll in Mainland/local

reclamation projects

To ensure proper disposal of public fi ll arising from local construction activities, we are operating the temporary fi ll banks and construction waste sorting facilities at Tseung Kwan O and Tuen Mun and the barging facilities at Chai Wan and Mui Wo.

6

REUSE OF SURPLUS PUBLIC FILL IN THE MAINLAND

Following the running down of reclamation projects in Hong Kong in recent years, we have reached an acute stage where available reclamation projects are unable to accommodate all the public fi ll. We are currently relying on two fi ll banks for temporary storage of public fi ll. Notwithstanding different management measures taken to reduce fi ll generation at source and to promote its reuse and recycling, we still face the problem of surplus public fi ll.

To tackle the problem, we continue to explore opportunities to reuse our surplus public fi ll in Mainland’s reclamation projects. We signed a Cooperation Agreement with the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) in March 2004. It provides a foundation for delivery of our public fi ll in Mainland waters. We further reached an agreement with the South China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA(SCSB)) in June 2005 on the implementation details, including the material specifi cations, delivery requirements, inspection and control measures, to ensure that the use of public fi ll in the Mainland’s reclamation projects will not cause any environmental problems.

In January 2006, SOA(SCSB) designated a trial reclamation site in Guang Hoi Wan (廣海灣) of Taishan (台山) to receive public fi ll from Hong Kong. Contracts were subsequently awarded for the cross-boundary delivery of surplus public fi ll to the reclamation site concerned. The delivery of public fi ll to Taishan commenced in July 2007 and about 106 million tonnes of public fi ll have been delivered up to June 2017.

The scheme demonstrates that the delivery of surplus public fi ll to the Mainland for reuse is an environmentally sound and mutually benefi cial arrangement. This arrangement helps alleviate our pressure in accommodating surplus public fi ll and enables benefi cial reuse of our public fi ll in the Mainland. In the absence of the scheme, the fi ll banks would have already been fi lled up and any surplus public fi ll would have to be disposed of in landfi lls, of which the capacity is fast depleting.

August 2017

Thi

s fac

t she

et is

pri

nted

on

envi

ronm

enta

lly fr

iend

ly p

aper

聯絡我們 Contact Us

地址Address

電話Telephone電郵E-mail網址Website

香港九龍何文田公主道 101 號

土木工程拓展署大樓 1 樓: 1/F, Civil Engineering and Development Building, 101 Princess Margaret Road, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

:� (852) 2762 5111

: enquiry@cedd.gov.hk

: http://www.cedd.gov.hk