Sustainable Development #8

Taiwan’s modern recycling turnaround


      Boasting a 55% recycling rate, Taiwan is a model for waste
management. This is especially true in the capital city, Taipei, where
the recycling rate is double the United States’.

      Such an achievement has been a contemporary transformation.
Multiple American expatriates have personally illustrated to me how
drastic the improvement has been. According to my sources, over two
decades ago the streets seemingly ran red with betel nut (the Taiwanese
equivalent of dip tobacco) while the public drains were clogged with
plastic bags. These colorful descriptions compared the uncleanliness of
Taipei to anywhere in Southeast Asia.

      Likely guided by Japanese principles, Taiwan has implemented
impressive measures to establish resource self-sufficiency. An overhaul
of the waste management system has resulted in recycling efficiency
which the government proudly compares to that of the European Union.
Implicit in this success is the cooperation of the average person.
Citizen involvement has been facilitated through prohibitive trashbag
fees and increasing the accessibility of recycling. The government has
additionally established recycling as a societal value by leveraging the
cultural desire for cohesion, publically showcasing rewards and
punishments. Violators may be shamed in public forums (their identities
protected), certainly facing hefty fines. Conversely, commercials and
posters commending proper recycling behavior are abundant. One man was
awarded $21,460USD, reported a local news source, for diligently
curtailing violations.

      What isn’t as widely praised is the common practice of
enterprising citizens pre-sorting recyclable materials to extract the
most profitable goods. I have firsthand witness of the symbiosis
between industrious scrappers and municipal waste employees. The
sorters are rewarded via the goods they can sell to recycling centers
while the workers’ jobs are eased, the initial processing having been
already completed.

      The only real shortcoming of the contemporary system is the level
of public resources required. The incomes from the blue trashbags,
recycled materials, and violation fines are not enough to cover
expenses. Cities across the island require subsidies from the national
government to maintain their programs. However, Taiwanese public
services are esteemed by the people, who widely perceive them as
efficient necessities.

      Though perhaps not yet economically sustainable, the waste
management revolution in Taiwan is even still an international
inspiration. The relatively quick turnaround from pollution to solution
is a development worth appreciation.


“Taiwan: the world’s geniuses of garbage disposal” – Kathy Chen
– The Wall Street Journal – May 17, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/taiwan-the-worlds-geniuses-of-garbage-disposal-1463519134

“Recycling achievements” – Recycling Fund Management Board (EPA
of R.O.C.) – retrieved July 18, 2016
http://recycle.epa.gov.tw/Recycle/en/NAV07Content.htm

“Taiwanese Trash Nocturne” – Alec Spaulding – Unsolicited
Assurance blog – July 16, 2016
http://unsolicitedassurance.blogspot.tw/2016/07/taiwanese-trash-turnaround.html
**Note: my lyrical rendition of the daily recycling ritual**


Cheers,
Al Spaulding
BioEnergy and Sustainable Technology Lab
Soil and Water Science Department, UF-IFAS
on location in Taipei, Taiwan