Turning Rubbish into Resources: Taipei's New Garbage Fee Initiative

Residential garbage fees in Taiwan used to be included in water utility bills, despite the lack of a necessary relation between household water consumption and garbage generation. Given the difficulty of finding sites for new landfills, plus Taipei's ever-expanding output of garbage, city authorities last year began working on a new system under which garbage collection would be paid for through the purchase of special-issue trash bags. The aim was to reduce the amount of garbage being generated and encourage recycling.

Before the official launch there was widespread skepticism about the viability of the new scheme, elements of which had only been tested in a handful of neighborhoods. People were also deterred by the apparent complexity of garbage separation-scrap paper, for example, is supposed to be separated into white paper, brown paper, newspaper, and miscellaneous paper. Setting aside recyclables was going to require additional space in the home, not to mention a change in people's ingrained habits with regard to trash.

The special new trash bags, which come in six sizes, are not cheap-NT$7 per bag for the standard small size. It is estimated that this will result in a threefold increase in residential garbage fees compared with the old system. Just as the scheme was about to get off the ground, the supply of new trash bags was "held back" from the market by distributors. Residents were unable to obtain the bags from local stores, triggering further complaints about the new system.

A number of public figures, including city councilors, expressed doubts about the implementation of the new policy, which the city government didn't begin actively publicizing until March this year. By mid-June half of the city's residents were still unsure about what the new system actually involved. There was criticism of the city government for "announcing" but not "explaining" the new policy, and some councilors called for the scheme to be postponed.

Despite skepticism about the new garbage fee system, there was widespread acceptance of the fact that it would have to be introduced sooner or later. Last year, after the city council adopted an ordinance designed to phase out the levying of garbage fees through water bills, it became inevitable that fees would have to be calculated on the basis of volume-through a charge for trash bags. Under the new system, the more garbage a household generates, the more bags it fills and thus the more it pays. It's fair and reasonable, and helps to reduce garbage output while encouraging recycling.

For the media, the new policy has been viewed as Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's sternest challenge since taking office. If his "rubbish revolution" fails it will wreck confidence in the administrative capability of Ma and his team, and put an end to his chances of reelection in two years' time. Then of course there is the fact that Taipei, which claims to be an international metropolis, is facing an impending waste-disposal crisis. The city's second landfill, at Shanchuku, is now approaching saturation-point, while preparations for a third landfill are still on hold. Furthermore, there is a pressing need for operations to be suspended at both the Neihu and Mucha incinerators, to permit maintenance work that will improve efficiency and reduce dioxin emissions.

Under enormous pressure to succeed, Mayor Ma took to toting a flimsy plastic bin-bag with him wherever he went, whether hosting a lunch for KMT Chairman Lien Chan or paying a call on president Chen Shui-bian-whom he presented with a trash bag as a gift. For city government employees, the new scheme presented an even greater challenge than the "trash doesn't touch the ground" policy introduced during Chen's tenure as mayor. For the battle-weary staff of the city's Bureau of Environmental Protection (BEP), this was a "second revolution." BEP director Shen Shih-hung announced that he would resign to take responsibility if the new policy failed.

As June came to an end, many Taipei residents took the opportunity to clear their homes of junk while they could still do so without paying for the privilege. As a result, more garbage was disposed of during that period than on Chinese New Year's Eve, traditionally the biggest day of the year for trash collection. On July 1, the city government waited anxiously to see how well the scheme took off. All over the city that evening it was the same scene: the trash truck came tootling into view to be greeted by residents clutching standard-issue new blue bags (the usage rate for which reached 98% that day) instead of the usual multicolored miscellany of plastic bags. The total volume of garbage collected dropped from over 2,900 tons to less than 2,000 tons, and the city's BEP staff heaved a collective sigh of relief.

In the following weeks, daily rubbish volume held steady at around two-thirds of the previous level, and the city government now estimates that the operational life of the Shanchuku landfill can be extended by at least six months.

There has also been a rapid rise in the quantity of recyclables collected, and the BEP is concerned that if it continues to increase there will be a shortage of space at the recycling dumps. In the first month of the new scheme the Bureau has also noted a growing tendency for people to conceal household rubbish among their recyclables (for which special-issue trash bags are not required) which is affecting the efficiency of the recycling operation. Moreover, many residents have carried on as before, lumping everything together whether recyclable or not, preferring to pay the price for the special trash bags rather than expend time sorting out recyclables and non-recyclables. The city government has indicated that more needs to be done to encourage residents to separate out garbage before disposing of it.

In addition to this, some entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the new scheme to market waste-disposal units for the kitchen, devices which pulp kitchen scraps and dispose of them down the drain. The BEP, however, points out that Taiwan's sewerage facilities are not yet adequate for breaking down kitchen scraps, and that these instead may block pipes and create a health hazard. People who use such devices are therefore liable for penalties under The Prevention of Water Pollution Law.

In fact, the correct disposal of kitchen waste and the promotion of better garbage separation are the city government's next points of emphasis. In the future, kitchen waste will probably be treated and disposed of by private companies, as in the US and other countries. Further categorization of recyclables and non-recyclables depends, for the time being, on the cooperation of the national Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). For example, in order to pave the way for the city's new garbage collection system, the BEP introduced new categories of recyclables at the start of June, covering industrial styrofoam, fluorescent tubes and light bulbs. But because these remain outside of official categories determined by the EPA, no subsidies are available and firms therefore lack the incentive to collect and recycle such material. There is already a mountain of industrial styrofoam awaiting recycling, and the BEP has asked the EPA to declare a new category as soon as possible. The local authority is clearly doing its best to push the national authority into action.

With the implementation of the new garbage fee system, the idea of being environmental as you go along and of turning rubbish into resources is becoming a reality. Only once everyone is in the habit of producing less garbage, while sorting and recycling wherever possible, can there be a real improvement in Taiwan's living environment.

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On the last day before the introduction of the new garbage scheme, Taipei residents took the opportunity to get rid of heaps of junk. (photo by Diago Chiu)