TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of Environment (MOENV, 環境部) announced on Thursday (Feb. 27) the initiation of amendments to the "Waste Disposal Act" (廢清法) and the "Resource Recycling Act" (資再法) to increase penalties and introduce a mechanism for provisional attachment requests.
Lin Chien-san (林健三), deputy director-general of the Resource Circulation Administration (RECA, 資源循環署), explained that the revised penalties will increase from the current range of one to five years to a maximum of seven years in prison. If the disposal site is ecologically sensitive, the draft will elevate the penalty to three to 10 years of imprisonment.
Lin said the draft also allows environmental agencies to apply for provisional attachment with the administrative court to secure creditor rights after estimating cleanup costs, preventing offenders from quickly dissipating assets post-investigation.
The MOENV has been reviewing the acts since 2022. A year later, they attempted to merge the two into a "Resource Circulation Promotion Act" (資源循環促進法), but associations and environmental groups found it impractical. Consequently, the ministry retained the "Waste Disposal Act," enhancing its management mechanisms, and vowed to amend the "Resource Recycling Act."