With the pandemic easing and domestic tourism recovering, Lanyu and Green Island have seen an influx of tourists, bringing with them a significant amount of waste. Landfills on the islands have become a mountain of garbage. Due to the high cost of transporting waste back to Taiwan, the Taitung County Environmental Protection Bureau has diligently cleared and hauled it away, but these efforts are only a temporary solution. The Bureau urges tourists visiting the islands to reduce their use of disposable items and reduce waste at the source.
Green Island launched a free recycling cup rental service this year, which has been in trial operation for nearly half a year. Many shops on the island have responded by offering lunch box rentals and inviting tourists to practice environmentally friendly "waste-free" tourism. The hope is that everyone who comes to Green Island will leave behind good memories rather than garbage.
Landfills on offshore islands near saturation after crossing seas and mountains to dispose of waste
During peak tourist season, thousands of people flock to outlying islands daily, bringing both business opportunities and waste. Disposable toiletries, disposable tableware, plastic bags, and beverage cups used by tourists all pose a significant burden on the islands.
In the past, Taitung County did not have an incinerator, so garbage from Orchid Island and Green Island had to be shipped to Taitung by sea. Then, it had to be transferred and circumnavigated halfway across Taiwan to other counties and cities such as Pingtung and Kaohsiung for processing. The transportation costs were very high, resulting in the frequent failure of waste transfer contracts, and large amounts of waste had to be temporarily stored in landfills on the islands.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency's landfill information system, the total capacity of the Orchid Island landfill is approximately 39,000 cubic meters, but currently only 41 cubic meters remain, and the garbage is almost full; while the total capacity of the Green Island landfill is 54,000 cubic meters, but currently less than 20% of the space remains. A large amount of waste has piled up a garbage mountain on the beautiful island.
This year, the Taitung incinerator officially opened. Its primary mission is to dispose of garbage from two outlying islands, eliminating the need for garbage to travel halfway across Taiwan and allowing it to be processed directly in Taitung. In the first half of the year, approximately 950 tons of garbage was removed from Orchid Island and 250 tons from Green Island, respectively, slightly alleviating the problem of excessive waste.
Green Island successfully reduced 3,489 beverage cups in a six-month trial of renting recycled cups.
Green Island generates approximately 600 to 900 tons of garbage annually. The Taitung County Environmental Protection Bureau projects that approximately 700 tons will be removed this year. The bureau stated that new waste will be prioritized, and only when there is enough waste will the approximately 1,000 tons currently accumulating in the landfill be processed. The bureau emphasized that waste transfer is only a temporary solution; reducing waste at the source is the only permanent solution. The bureau urged tourists traveling to the outlying islands to bring their own toiletries and reusable tableware to reduce travel waste.
This year, the Environmental Protection Bureau partnered with Haoheqi to pilot a free reusable cup rental program on Green Island. Over a dozen self-service cup rental stations are now available on the island, including at Nanliao Fishing Port, duty-free shops, 7-Eleven, and Dingge Beverage Stores. Simply add a Line friend on your phone to borrow a reusable cup and conveniently return it to the return box after use.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234757)
