Shek Kwu Chau is a restricted area and a permit is required to visit the island.

It was generally barren and uninhabited until 1962, when it was taken over by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers.

[4] The Hong Kong government is building an Integrated Waste Management Facilities on a newly created artificial island south of Shek Kwu Chau and west of Cheung Chau, scheduled to be completed in 2018.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau said the site was chosen over Tsang Tsui in Tuen Mun partly because of the shorter transportation time and the lower impact on the neighbourhood.

[5] On 26 July 2013, the High Court rejected a legal bid to stop construction of the incinerator, brought by Cheung Chau resident Leung Hon-wai.