Page 32 - Plastcs News January 2019

FeAtures

recyclable materials like glass, aluminum and paper can firmly in the public consciousness,” Lai Ying-ying, head
be placed in any kind of bag of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration’s
(EPA’s) waste management department, says. “It’s what
The collection process is a community ritual. Classical
music piped from trucks alert local residents that it’s makes [a] circular economy actually happen.”
time to go outside with bags containing the recyclables Today, the average Taiwanese person produces 850 grams
and mixed waste. A bright yellow pickup truck collects (1.9 pounds) of waste daily, down from 1.20 kilograms
general trash, while a smaller white truck behind it has (2.6 pounds) 15 years ago. Recycling rates have been
a set of bins into which people can throw recyclable reported to exceed 50 percent, although those numbers
materials, from raw food to cardboard. Volunteers have been disputed. Many of the island’s incinerators are
and officials help people sort their garbage properly. now running below capacity. Overall, the island produces
Collected materials are sent to facilities where they get more recyclable waste than non–reusable waste.
sorted and then sent to companies like Miniwiz or Da Fon A Question of Will
that recycle them in a variety of ways. Some waste still
ends up in landfills and incinerated. The model has its challenges. In the past, incidents
of ash being illegally dumped from incinerators raised
While it may sound a bit complex, the process seems concerns over public health, while accusations of inflated
to have won people’s favor. Yuchen Hsu, a 26-year-old statistics sparked a debate around the reliability of the
accountant, told me that she doesn’t mind she has to haul recycling process. The island is also increasing its import
her waste to the garbage truck personally. “Sometimes of plastic waste from abroad after China’s recent ban
I miss it, but the trucks circulate twice a day, so I never — a development seen by some as an environmental
keep my trash in my house more than a day,” she says.
threat. Another concern relates to the growing use of
composite material that makes sorting more problematic,
hampering the creation of new value through recycling.
Lai Ying-ying concedes that mistakes were made
in the past and that there are improvements to be
made. However, she says she believes that Taiwan’s
transformation can be held as an example at a time
“when many developing countries, especially in the
southern hemisphere, are grappling with similar trash
challenges.”
Ming-Chien Su, a natural resources and environmental
studies professor at National Dong Hwa University in
Taiwan, agrees. “Taiwan lacked the financial means
For those looking for more flexibility, Taipei has installed of Japan or other European nations when it started its
a smart recycling booth that adds value to a person’s waste scheme. Yet it managed to build a multibillion-
mass transit access card for every recyclable bottle or dollar recycling supply chain that can process much of
can. Lee Wei-bin, a 37-year-old nurse, says she likes that the garbage it produces while cleaning its streets,” she
initiative. “My job doesn’t allow me to be always there says. “This does teach us that developing an effective
when the truck comes,” she says. “But I can go to the waste management policy is a question of will, and not
station whenever I want and also get some money back. only wealth.”
I think it’s a good thing.” Perhaps, with plastic production showing no sign of
Those caught trying to get rid of their trash improperly diminishing and economic growth inextricably linked to
may risk fines or public shaming. “For a policy like this waste generation, rising economies might look at Taiwan
to work, you have to make each one responsible for his before issues with their own garbage get out of control.
personal consumption. You need waste disposal to sit (Courtesy: ensia)

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