Hong Kong had set up an animal waste composting plant and was ready to handle the horse-stable waste from the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events here from August to September, said Hong Kong's environmental agency on Friday.

The plant can treat about 20 tons of such waste every day and turn it into useful organic compost suitable for landscaping, horticultural and agricultural uses, said the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

The plant's composting technology ensures effective elimination of all harmful disease-producing bacteria and micro-organisms. It also contains and treats potentially odorous emissions, said the department.

The plant's total cost for the design and construction, including a two-year trial operation, was 37 million HK dollars (4.7 million U.S. dollars).

The department said that turning horse waste into useful compost is an important contribution to the equestrian events' environmental commitment.

The 2008 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events are expected to bring more than 300 horses from 42 countries and regions. The first batch of the horses will arrive on Saturday.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2008)