Recycling in Taiwan

[1] Taiwan’s high recycling rates are unattainable in most countries due to Taiwanese geographical advantages along with efficient waste processing technologies and systems.

A second effort was made through the Revisions to Articles 10-1, 23-1 and 31 promulgated by presidential order on March 28, 1997 (See Legislative History of Waste Disposal Act), and the 4-in-1 recycling program initiated by the Environmental Protection Administration and implemented in 1997.

[4] Prior to the introduction of the recycling program, Taiwan’s landfills were filling up due to rapid economic growth during the late 1970s.

[5] By the mid-’90s, the waste management infrastructure included a little more than 400 nearly full landfills, resulting in Taiwan being nicknamed “garbage island”.

[10] In Taiwan's neighborhoods, garbage trucks signal their arrival by playing Ludwig van Beethoven's Fur Elise or "Maiden's Prayer" by Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska.

[4] Taiwan has implemented iTrash stations, designed by Hao-Yang Environment Technology Ltd., which is essentially a reverse vending machine that charges for household garbage and pays for recycling.

[13] Initially, the iTrash station project started as a four month long trial in Taipei and in response to the trial, Liou Ming-lone, the commissioner of Technology Conservation Group's Department of Environmental Protection, stated that more iTrash stations will be implemented around the city of Taipei in 2019.