TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Environment (MOENV, 環境部) has initiated regulations mandating mobile phone manufacturers, importers, and retailers in Taiwan to take responsibility for recycling. These entities must now label recycling methods and set up facilities at their business locations to help the public manage data on old phones.
Despite the sale of 5 million phones annually, Taiwan's current recycling rate stands at a mere 12%, according to the MOENV. The ministry's target is for each brand to exceed a 15% recycling rate by 2026. Li I-hua (李宜樺), an official from the Resource Circulation Administration (循環署), cautioned that companies failing to meet the 15% target by 2027 will incur fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
Li stressed the environmental hazards of heavy metals in phones, which, if improperly discarded, can contaminate soil and groundwater. Additionally, lithium batteries pose a fire risk if not recycled correctly. The global e-waste monitor report for 2024 showed that 62 million metric tons of electronic waste were generated in 2022, with only 22.3% recycled properly.
Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖), secretary-general of the Taiwan Watch Institute (看守台灣協會), pointed out that many developing countries lack adequate facilities, leading to pollution from extracting precious metals from electronics. The Resource Circulation Administration hopes the new regulations will boost recycling efforts in Taiwan, aiming to match the 15% recycling rates seen in Europe and the U.S.