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Oct 2

Development of Taiwan Waste Management

Updated: Oct 2


In Taiwan, the average daily household waste per person is about 1.1 kilograms, totaling approximately 25,000 metric tons daily or 8.8 million metric tons annually. Waste generation has grown 5-7% annually due to economic development, but recent recycling improvements have reduced this growth rate to 1%.

Initially, waste disposal in Taiwan involved indiscriminate dumping, with rudimentary facilities. In the 1980s, increasing waste volumes led to capacity issues, prompting the construction of emergency landfills and planned incineration plants. Existing landfills were closed, improved, landscaped, and monitored for environmental impact. Household waste is collected, transported, and managed at landfills by township and city cleaning teams, while some regional landfills are managed by municipal environmental protection bureaus.

In 1984, the government introduced the "Urban Waste Management Plan," focusing on landfilling and sanitary landfills. By 1991, with advancements in incineration technology, the "Waste Management Plan" prioritized incineration over landfilling. This improved waste management from 24% in 1984 to 96% in 2002, and the recycling rate reached 15.5% after 1998.

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) designates certain household waste for recycling, including plastics, glass, metal cans, batteries, and electronic waste. Manufacturers and importers pay a recycling fee to the "Resource Recycling Fund," which supports the "Four-in-One Resource Recycling Plan," benefiting communities and recycling facilities.

The "Urban Waste Management Plan" aimed for 85% of waste to be properly managed, a 50% incineration rate, and 25% public-private operation of incineration plants. The EPA now emphasizes viewing waste as a resource, adopting "zero waste" goals, and has introduced new measures for the next 20 years, including enhanced recycling laws, mandatory waste sorting, and improved waste management systems.


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