英译概念：Pulp mill to tackle waste paper(图)

发布 : 2022-11-28  来源 : 明报新闻网 用微信扫描二维码，分享至好友和朋友圈

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In recent years, the recycling rate of waste paper in Hong Kong has continued to decline. In 2020, the recycling rate of wastepaper was only 31.8%, a record low in recent years. As for the amount of waste paper disposed of in landfills, it has remained at over 900,000 tonnes in recent years.


【明报专讯】In recent years, mainland China has tightened the import of recyclable materials. This, together with the decline in international paper prices, has affected the local recycling price of waste paper. Recycling volumes continue to decline even though the government is footing the bill with taxpayers' money. To reduce dependence on the export market, the government approved the building of a paper recycling plant at EcoPark in 2018, but the scheme ended prematurely. In the government's 2020 Policy Address, it was further proposed that modern pulping facilities be built at EcoPark. The Environmental Protection Department（EPD）plans to have a pulp mill built on an area of about 1.4 hectares at EcoPark. The bidding process has been completed, and it is expected that the mill will begin operation in 2025, processing no less than 300,000 tonnes of local waste paper each year.

Jacky Lau Yiu-shing, chairman of the Hong Kong Recycle Materials and Re-production Business General Association, who is also a contractor of the project, says he hopes the pulp mill will be completed as soon as possible to stabilise the local paper prices. He says a more satisfactory situation is that taxpayers' money will not be used to subsidise the scheme, and the market will be back on track. Hahn Chu, director of Environmental Affairs at The Green Earth, says that the pulp mill will only be able to handle about 300,000 tonnes of waste paper every year. However, over the past year or so, the problem of recycled paper being soaked with water - so that it can weigh more - has recurred. Chu says the EPD must do a good job of supervision. Even if some of the waste paper is handled locally, about half of it will still be exported to Southeast Asia. If the quality is not good, the competitiveness will be weakened, and recycled paper prices can even drop.

Mock examination question

What challenges might the Hong Kong government face when dealing with waste? Explain your answer.

(4 marks)

(1) Difficulties in oversight

The government may face difficult regulatory challenges when dealing with waste. Take waste paper recycling. According to the source, Hahn Chu, director of Environmental Affairs at The Green Earth, says that even the newly built pulp mills can only handle about 300,000 tonnes of waste paper each year. The problem of recycled paper being soaked with water - so that it can weigh more - has recurred. Chu says the EPD must do a good job of supervision. Even if some of the waste paper is handled locally, about half of it will still be exported to Southeast Asia. If the quality is not good, the competitiveness will be weakened, and recycled paper prices can even drop.

(2) Environmental pollution

When the government deals with waste, it might face the challenge of environmental pollution. Hong Kong mainly disposes of waste by landfilling. However, landfills in Hong Kong are already operating at full capacity, and landfills will also pollute the land. To solve the problem, the government plans to build incinerators to treat waste and turn waste into energy at the same time. While it might cost less to dispose of waste through incineration technology, it may pollute the environment. Take the treatment of food waste. Food waste contains a high concentration of water, which makes it difficult to fully utilise the energy efficiency during incineration. If the food waste contains a high salt content, more dioxins will be released during the incineration process. In conclusion, the use of incineration technology to dispose of waste can pose environmental challenges.

（本刊刊出的文章若提出批评，旨在指出相关制度、政策或措施存在错误或缺点，目的是促使矫正或消除这些错误或缺点，循合法途径予以改善，绝无意图煽动他人对政府或其他社群产生憎恨、不满或敌意。）

[智学公民 第043期]