On reading the article "Turning Rubbish into Resources"

Dear Editor,

On reading the article "Turning Rubbish into Resources" in the September overseas edition (August domestic edition) of Sinorama, I was delighted to learn of the progress being made in refuse disposal in Taipei City. The article mentions a number of problems faced by the city's refuse collection system. If I describe the way things are done in Switzerland, I think it may provide useful information for Taipei City, and indeed the rest of Taiwan.

The article states that many people do not separate their refuse at all, preferring to spend more money rather than taking the time and space needed for sorting refuse. This really is a disgracefully selfish attitude. I don't know if the official rubbish bags in Taipei are like those here-clearly printed with symbols for those items which shouldn't go into them, but should be recycled. I think that if there is clear information on the bags about how to separate refuse, it will be a great help to people who still don't know how to separate their refuse, and will at least serve as a reminder to those who find sorting refuse a chore, but who still have some pangs of conscience.

The article also mentions that because of the high cost of the official bags, some members of the public dump their refuse illegally, or mix it in with their recyclables. Where I live in northwestern Switzerland, small municipal refuse bags, which hold 17 liters, cost around NT$30 each. Even the largest size of bags only hold 110 liters, yet cost NT$108. This is definitely much more expensive than in Taipei City, but I've never heard anyone complain that the bags are too dear. I think this is because they do a good job of reducing and separating their waste. On average, our family uses two 60-liter refuse bags a month, and my parents-in-law only use two 35-liter bags a month, without exception. When I asked my mother-in-law how she manages it, she replied: "I've been a housewife a good 30 years longer than you!" Thus we can see that with effort and experience, one can achieve anything.

One area in which people in Taiwan could learn a lot from the Swiss is the way they value what they have. All the Swiss I've met so far use most things over and over again, and take good care of them while they are using them. When something can't be used anymore, they do their best to recycle it. Only if it can't be recycled does it go in the ordinary refuse. For instance: the cot our baby sleeps in is the one my husband and his two brothers slept in when they were children; our coffee machine was given to my mother-in-law as a wedding present 32 years ago; and our vacuum cleaner was inherited from my husband's grandparents. I could quote countless such examples.

In something over two years as a Swiss wife, I've also learnt how to keep mealtime leftovers to a minimum. Before starting to prepare a meal, I estimate how much will be needed to let the family eat their fill without stuffing themselves (overeating is unhealthy, after all). If they really are still hungry, we can quickly fry an egg or slice some bread. And if there is anything left over, it goes into the fridge to keep it fresh. With a little imagination any such leftovers can be turned into a highly creative meal. Many everyday Swiss dishes are put together from leftovers. For instance, the famous cherry bread cake (Kirschenbrottorte) of the Basle area is made from old, dry bread with other ingredients added; and left-over mashed potato can be made into potato cakes (Kartoffelkuchlein) by adding eggs, flour and whatever flavorings one prefers. This summer, some friends came to Switzerland from Taiwan. They stayed at our house, visited my parents-in-law and of course went sightseeing everywhere. When they saw how thrifty the Swiss are, they all thought that if people in Taiwan could act the same way, it would surely greatly improve the living environment there. Come on, Taiwan!