HSINCHU (TVBS News) — Taiwan faces a mounting waste crisis, with temporary garbage storage amount increasing from 210,000 tons in 2018 to 840,000 tons last year, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (環保署). Officials estimate that clearing this backlog will take until 2036.
Hsinchu County generates around 280 tons of waste daily, relying on neighboring counties for incineration. Any disruption in incineration capacity leads to significant waste accumulation.
To combat this issue, Hsinchu County plans to begin trial operations of its new incinerator by the end of the year, aiming for full operation by mid-next year, according to Hsinchu County Environmental Protection Bureau Director Hsiao Hung-chieh (蕭宏杰).
Deputy Director of the Environmental Management Administration Lin Tso-hsiang (林左祥) said the Hsinchu incinerator will officially operate in 2025, and a new Tainan incinerator will be completed in 2027, increasing national waste processing capacity to 7 million tons.
However, Greenpeace East Asia Campaigner Chang Kai-ting (張凱婷) highlighted that at least 100 temporary waste sites exist nationwide, with 60 located within 2 kilometers of schools and 8 near water protection zones.
The Environmental Management Administration plans to invest NT$1.2 billion over the next four years to help local governments address exposed waste.
Still, Greenpeace criticized the government's budget allocation, noting that between 2018 and 2024, NT$12.4 billion was spent on end-of-line waste treatment, compared to only NT$570 million on waste reduction at the source.
Chang Kai-ting urged, "We call on the government to significantly increase the budget for waste reduction starting next year, to match the funds allocated for end-of-line treatment, to truly address our waste problem."
Taiwan's waste management issues urgently need resolution to prevent the island from becoming a "garbage island."