Air quality in Taiwan leaves lots to desire no thanks to industrial sources.
What is really depressing, is how frequently trash is burned making the issue x10 worse because this is frequently done close to residential areas.
Example: yesterday night, Hsinchu area, neighborhood of this restaurant: Google Maps
Area enveloped by smoke easily seen in car headlights - plastic/cardboard smell.
No visible flames anywhere (could be carried by wind for some backyard)
Came across a smoke in the night/evening several other times (lived for a while in area where I could see flames every other night across valley)
You could call the fire department. It’s night and you know there’s a fire in the vicinity. Lots of smoke coming from close by and you are concerned that it might be an actual fire.
I didn’t say that. I meant calling an emergency service because you are concerned that there might be an actual emergency. Also, things are set up here so that there is no option: EPA demands that they catch them in the act (so when they get there there will no longer be a fire), the police department will tell you that it’s not their jurisdiction, anything confrontational is not always wise here, etc.
If there is a better way, I would also be interested in hearing about it.
Not wasting their time at all, there’s a fire that needs to be dealt with, that’s what they’re for. Would you prefer to wait until it’s out of control before calling them?
Everyone has such high standards/morals here. Of course you’re right and I do most of the time in Taiwan bite my tongue, do nothing, look away, etc. (like when I saw the young punks the other day throw a cup then some other trash while speeding around on a scooter). But sometimes, just sometimes, you just need to call the damn fire department. I have actually once, but it was when the smoke was so bad nobody could blame me for thinking that it could have actually been a real fire (although I knew there was probably a very, very low chance of that).
IMO, calling to fire station when you think there may be a fire is better than doing nothing.
As for burning trash, I would confirm to fire department or department of environment protection if it is regal or not, and if it is illegal, I’d ask them what I should do when I found it.
If they leave hot ash in public area, it is most probably illegal, and you can report it to environment protection department.
Eta:
I found it is a violation of Air Pollution Control Act.
I have never thought otherwise. I live next to a mountain and I can guarantee that in the area of any mountain in the greater Taipei area there is DAILY burning of leaves from the numerous grandma/grandpa mini farms. Sometimes a bit of trash is burned as well. My experience with the EPA is that they have what seem like students working there and while very polite, no real action results from complaints to them. Complaints about sound pollution were met with “we never caught them in the act and so could not take measurements.” This was several years ago so maybe things have gotten better, especially when it comes to air pollution. But probably not because the burning continues.
About a year ago when I was walking up a mountain road (I usually cycle and so don’t stop), there was a farmer down below the road on his field burning leaves and grass. I complained to him in Mandarin that the air pollution in Taipei was already bad enough without his burning. His reaction? He laughed at me. We couldn’t see each other so I don’t think he knew I was a foreigner. That was my last attempt to try to do anything about this. OP, please call the EPA and let us know what happens. If no good results are achieved, I guess there’s always the fire department, especially if, you know, it could be an actual fire.