At the Corporate Level
Waste Reduction Initiatives
- In 2006, KMB became the first enterprise in Hong Kong to participate in the fluorescent tube recycling campaign, thus contributing to the reduction of the impact of solid waste on the environment.
- To reduce the amount of solid waste disposed of in landfills, KMB has implemented a company-wide waste reduction programme. In 2009, KMB was once again awarded the Gold Wastewise Scheme Logo by the Environmental Protection Department in recognition of its efforts in environmental protection, and waste reduction and management.
- KMB has developed the Electronic Terminus Management System, which speeds up decision-making in bus operations and saves 30% in regulator sheets annually.
- To extend its environment-friendly efforts in every direction and fulfil its responsibilities as a corporate citizen, KMB participated in the “Earth Partner” 2010-2011 programme.
Green Office Management
- KMB applies the Green Office concept to its headquarters, using pre-set timers to switch off lighting when not needed. Consumption of electricity dropped by 24% in the first six years of the campaign starting in 2003.
- A range of improvement work has been undertaken to enhance the indoor air quality of KMB Headquarters, including adding booster fans, increasing the fresh air supply by stepping up the fan speed, and rebalancing the fresh air supply based on actual demand.
- To reduce paper consumption, KMB has launched an electronic documentation system, e-tendering, e-payslips and an electronic telephone book, as well as encouraging the use of email for communications.
Efforts in Minimising Climate Change
- Since 2006, KMB has participated in the government's “Action Blue Sky” campaign and set the temperature controllers at 25.5 Celsius.
- KMB introduced the Octopus Bus-Bus Interchange Scheme in 1999, which enables the provision of services to more newly developed areas without the need to add more buses or more trips along busy corridors, thus minimising emissions.
On the Buses
Environmental Friendly Bus Fleet
- KMB had a total of 3,906 buses, all of them meeting the stringent exhaust emission standards of the European Council of Environmental Ministers, making KMB the largest environment-friendly bus operator in Hong Kong. Compared with 1992, each KMB bus on average emits 85.8% less in terms of particulates.
- In 2007, KMB undertook to install Diesel Particulate Filters on its existing Euro II and Euro III buses, with the aim of upgrading their exhaust emissions to Euro IV/V standard in terms of particulate matter.
- Since 2001, KMB has used ultra-low sulphur diesel, containing only 0.005% sulphur, in its entire fleet. From 2009, the even more environment-friendly “Euro V Diesel”, with only 0.001% sulphur content, was adopted to the whole KMB fleet.
Quality Energy Saving Air-Conditioning System
- In 2001, KMB introduced a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system which incorporates various new features, enabling the temperature, humidity, air flow and air quality inside buses to be maintained at comfortable levels. To further improve the air quality inside buses, from 2002 all new air-conditioned buses have been equipped with electrostatic filters, which provide even more effective filtration of very fine particles with minimal noise.
- In 2005, KMB introduced the “Enhanced Air-conditioning System” on its buses, which makes adjustments to the temperature every four seconds according to the temperature inside and outside the bus, thus reducing fuel consumption.
- Since 1994, all KMB's air-conditioned buses use the refrigerant R123A, which does no harm to the ozone layer and meets the standards laid down by the Montreal Protocol.
Emission Reduction Management
- Light materials such as glass reinforced plastic and aluminium alloy are widely used in environment-friendly bus construction to reduce dead weight and, as the advanced drive-line technology is applied, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 5%, leading to reduced exhaust emissions.
- KMB has successfully implemented the pioneering Eco-Driveline system on buses since 2003. The system has proved to be effective in reducing exhaust emissions by an average of 6% to 10% through improvement in fuel economy.
Waste Reduction Initiatives
- In 2001, KMB introduced synthetic gearbox oil. The oil drain interval has been increased from 30,000 kilometres to 150,000 kilometres, resulting in an 80% reduction in waste oil.
- KMB is progressively adopting highly effective foam-element air filters to replace traditional paper-element air filters, significantly reducing the amount of solid waste disposal.
- To alleviate the pollution problem caused by industrial waste and to fully utilise resources, customised design of tyres for double-deck buses greatly enhances mileage performance, with deeper tread depth on tyres increasing overall mileage by 30%.
In the Depots
Accreditation
- In 2007, when KMB's four main depots received Green Mark Certification from the Q-Mark Council of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, KMB became the first public transport organisation to receive this certification.
- KMB's Sha Tin and Lai Chi Kok Depots obtained ISO 14001 certification from the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005. ISO 14001 is the international recognised standard for environmental management systems, providing a framework for organisations to manage aspects of their operations that affect the environment. KMB is the first bus company in Hong Kong to achieve this accreditation.
Recycling Initiatives
- With its own retreading workshop, KMB retreads over 30,000 used tyres every year. Over 60% of the 33,000 bus tyres that are in use on some 4,000 KMB buses every day are retreaded tyres.
- Waste oil from bus maintenance sites is collected by a registered waste oil recycling agent that handles the subsequent recycling or disposal processes in accordance with the statutory standards.
- To put the concept of recycling into practice, before it retires buses, KMB retains parts and major mechanical units which are in good condition and sends them to its Unit Overhaul Depot for repair or reconditioning.
Waste Water Management
- The 1,200,000 litres of water that are used every day to clean the KMB bus fleet are treated and recycled through the water recycling system.
- KMB depots are equipped with a total of 11 automatic waste water treatment systems with a daily treatment capacity of 670 cubic metres.
Waste Reduction Initiatives
- Developed in-house and introduced by KMB in 2005, the Filter Compressing Machine continues to be used to process disposed fuel and oil filters. It can reduce the volume of solid chemical waste by 60%, thereby helping to save landfill space.
- KMB has set up collection points at each of its depots and overhaul centres for scrap metal generated from maintenance work carried out on some 4,000 buses. The scrap metal is put out to tender annually and handled by waste collection agents.
Recent Achievements in Environmental Protection:
Environmental Education
As part of its promotion of environmental protection awareness, KMB produces environmental booklets, as well as green advertisements. Here are some of our recent environmental protection promotion campaigns and publications:
Civic Education: Environmental Protection Outdoor Advertising Campaign
