The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) gazetted Friday a new legislation to control the emissions
of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major category of
pollutants responsible for smog that reduces Hong Kong's
visibility.
The new legislation, the Air Pollution Control (Volatile Organic
Compounds) Regulation, bans the import and local manufacture of
products whose VOC content exceeds the prescribed limits.
Products that will come under the regulation include
architectural paints, printing inks, and six types of consumer
goods, namely, hairsprays, air fresheners, insecticides, insect
repellents, floor wax strippers and multi-purpose lubricants.
The regulation also requires emission reduction devices to be
installed on certain printing machines.
"VOCs play a significant role in the formation of ozone and
respirable suspended particulates," said a spokesman for the
Environmental Protection Department of the HKSAR government.
The HKSAR government and the Guangdong provincial government had
a consensus to reduce VOCs by 55 percent by 2010, on the basis of
the emissions in 1997, he said.
This new legislation is an essential step towards this goal,
which will ultimately enable Hong Kong to meet its air quality
objectives and help solve the smog problem, he said.
The regulation is one of the initiatives pledged in the 2006
Policy Address by HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang, he said.
"We expect it can reduce about 8,000 tons of local VOC
emissions. It will also bring Hong Kong to the forefront of VOC
control in the world," the spokesman added.
The scheme in the current regulation was worked out after months
of close co-operation between the Administration and trade
representatives.
"This regulation is welcomed by many as creating a 'win-win'
situation for both the environment and businesses. It shows that
protecting the environment needs not be damaging to economic
growth," the spokesman said.
The regulation will be tabled on Wednesday at the Legislative
Council for negative vetting, after which it will be implemented in
phases starting from April 1, 2007.
(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2006)