Illegal waste dumping is a frequent occurrence, and a lack of disposal channels is one of the reasons. The Executive Yuan announced today (the 17th) that it will accelerate the release of land in industrial zones, encourage businesses to install waste treatment facilities, and increase the amount of industrial waste handled. Non-combustible waste such as slag, converter stone, and incinerator bottom ash will be processed into recycled aggregates, with priority given to port reclamation projects to increase disposal channels. Illegal waste dumping continues to occur, prompting Su Zhenchang to impose severe penalties. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) presented its "Waste Management Improvement Strategy" at an Executive Yuan meeting today. Premier Su Zhenchang stated that the EPA, the National Police Agency, and the prosecutors and investigators will actively investigate and punish malicious waste dumping and serious environmental damage, and will promptly and severely punish such illegal activities. Su Zhenchang stated that Taiwan's industry has boomed in recent years, with industrial waste accounting for nearly 70% of all waste. The government will address this issue through three key approaches: increasing facility capacity, improving disposal channels, and strengthening inspections and controls. Su Zhenchang also reminded that administrative manpower is limited, and that all ministries and departments should leverage technology to enforce laws and regulations in areas such as air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, illegal sand and gravel mining, deforestation, and swine fever prevention. Not only should those responsible be held strictly accountable, but violators should also assume responsibility for environmental cleanup and restoration. Lai Ying-ying, Director of the Waste Management Division of the Environmental Protection Administration, explained that the main problems with industrial waste disposal are insufficient treatment capacity and a lack of disposal channels. To increase treatment capacity, the release of industrial land has been accelerated in recent years. At the same time, incentives such as simplified application procedures and reduced environmental fees have been offered to encourage large enterprises to establish their own waste treatment facilities. The EPA is also promoting the use of solid recycled fuel (SRF) boilers by businesses, replacing coal with waste with higher calorific value, such as plastics, for power generation. Lai Ying-ying stated that the EPA assisted in the establishment of 10 waste treatment facilities in 2020, with an additional 8 planned in 2021. This will effectively increase the energy yield of combustible waste and alleviate waste disposal pressures. Regarding non-combustible waste, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Technology, has inventoried land in industrial parks and science parks, releasing 15.7 hectares of land for environmental protection facilities. This will allow the construction of treatment facilities for industrial waste, such as sludge and waste liquids. Newly developed industrial parks should not only allocate sufficient land for environmental protection but also establish waste treatment facilities. The EPA is improving disposal pipelines and leveraging technology for law enforcement in hopes of resolving waste issues. Furthermore, Su Zhenchang stated that the primary reason steelmaking byproduct, slag, is being dumped is due to problems with disposal pipelines. "The same thing, when placed in the right place, is a resource; when disposed of in the wrong place, it becomes pollution." He added that the Engineering Council has institutionalized the promotion of the use of recycled aggregate in public projects, such as public roads and pipelines. The Executive Yuan also approved the "Procedures for the Use of Recycled Aggregates in Port Area Land Reclamation" on the 11th, requiring that all port areas prioritize the use of recycled aggregates and expand their application. The Engineering Council will continue to oversee the effective recycling of resources. Lai Ying-ying stated that recycled aggregates, including steelmaking byproducts such as converter stone, oxidized slag, reduced slag, and incinerator bottom ash, are processed and used as recycled aggregates. Currently, Taiwan has approximately 3.8 million tons of recycled aggregates requiring disposal annually. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) stated that, in the future, through individual environmental impact assessments, it will require engineering development projects to use a certain percentage of recycled aggregates. New port reclamation projects will undergo a three-stage assessment process, including laboratory testing, on-site testing, and environmental impact assessments, allowing each port area to prioritize the use of recycled aggregates. Currently, only Taipei Port in Taiwan uses recycled aggregates for port reclamation. The EPA emphasized that in recent years, through close collaboration among prosecutors, police, and environmental protection agencies, the use of technological law enforcement tools such as drones, satellite imagery, and GPS to gather evidence, pursue criminal charges and increase penalties, recover illegal gains, and hold offenders accountable for environmental cleanup and restoration. This has reduced the number of illegal dumping cases from 340 in 2018 to 180 in 2020. Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/231457)
