Taiwan Imports 240,000 Tons of Plastic Waste Annually at Prices as Low as NT$5 per Kilogram
- STIC CEGIR
- Jan 2
- 1 min read
Taiwan imports around 13 million tons of plastic each year, including about 240,000 tons of plastic waste, mostly from the UK and the Netherlands, costing as low as NT$5 per kilogram.
In late 2024, the UN will propose a "Global Plastics Treaty" to help reduce plastic use worldwide. The International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) is working with environmental groups, including the Taiwan Watch Institute, to gather information on plastic waste management.
Much of the imported plastic waste is used as industrial raw materials, with Japan being the largest source. However, the cheap waste often contains mixed materials that are hard to process, leading to concerns about its quality.
In 2022, Taiwan treated 2.78 million tons of plastic waste, nearly double what was processed in 2018. Most of this waste was burned in incinerators, putting pressure on their capacity.
Jun-Rong Chen from the Ministry of Environment explained that companies can import waste for specific needs, but this is separate from domestic recycling efforts. He noted that local recycled materials are often mixed and not all can be used by industries. While the recycling system has improved, there’s still room for better practices.
Regarding Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), Chen stated that the ministry has banned local SRF manufacturers from using imported plastic waste.