The government is to spend NT$1.2 billion (US$37.4 million) over three years to remove all garbage pileups by the end of 2026, the Ministry of Environment said yesterday.
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) tapped Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) to volunteer the municipality’s excess garbage incineration capabilities for the betterment of the entire nation.
The ministry is ready to help coordinate logistics and efforts, should the Taipei City Government be willing, Peng said after a Cabinet meeting yesterday.
Photo: Taipei Times
Domestic incinerators have been undergoing maintenance and upgrades on a rotational basis since 2017, resulting in 840,000 tonnes of unburied trash nationwide, he said.
The ministry had allocated funds to subsidize local government efforts to fill landfills, and package and sort exposed trash, he said.
Hsinchu County has the nation’s greatest amount of unburied trash, Peng said, adding that the Hsinchu County Government’s newly built incinerator would be trialed at the end of the year.
Other counties with severe trash problems include Pingtung and Nantou, while Taoyuan accounts for 87,000 tonnes of unburied trash, he said.
Nantou County has been planning to build an incinerator to resolve its trash issues, with Nantou County Commissioner Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) claiming that the county needed more time.
Peng said the ministry would endeavor to provide any form of assistance possible.
Environmental Management Administration Director-General Yen Hsu-ming (顏旭明) said that there are currently 28 incinerators: 24 publicly owned ones, two in Taitung and Hualien counties established through collaboration with Taiwan Cement Co (台泥), and two more in Taoyuan and Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮).
The one under construction in Hsinchu County would be the 29th incinerator, Yen said, adding that it is expected to be completed this year.
Garbage disposal is the responsibility of the local governments, as the central government does not own any incinerators, Peng said.
However, he said he hoped some cities and counties with excess incinerator capacity would step up to help.
Citing excess garbage in New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and the inability of both municipalities to handle the situation, Peng urged Chiang to provide assistance.
Ultimately, counties and cities must start reducing trash and enforce categorization for recycling, Peng said, praising Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei’s (王惠美) inspection of garbage bags, which has helped reduce the county’s trash by 30 percent.
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