Recycling in Taipei

can someone tell me the deal with recycling and trash in taiwan?

Someone told me you need to buy specific trashbags while in taipei in order to have them picked up. Other people have said they just put trash in whatever bags they have and soeone picks it up on the corner of their street.

I know there’s also recycling…is that something people do if they’re environmentally friendly or is more required? Also, what exactly is recycled? In the states it’s usually just cans and paper…but I feel like they recycle more in taiwan.

Thanks.

Yes, you have to buy the bags. Usually at the supermarket and maybe 7-11. I usually recycle plastic bottles and thats it.
Actually if you look into it, recycling wastes more energy then just making a new product.

WTF???

It does spend more energy. But it also saves room in landfills. While paper recylcing takes a shit ton of paper to make a small amount of recycled paper, you still make a difference. A lot of people forget that every small bit helps.

So once I have the proper bags, where am I able to leave my trash? Is it on any major street corner or are their specified locations. Also, are there specific days or any days?

Is there a website I could check for this information?

The same questions go for recycling…

I live near the Nanjing Dong Lu/ Guangfu intersection

Nanjing Dong Lu, Wu Duan…

Thanks…

-Jason

[quote=“grifter000”]So once I have the proper bags, where am I able to leave my trash? Is it on any major street corner or are their specified locations. Also, are there specific days or any days?

Is there a website I could check for this information?

The same questions go for recycling…

I live near the Nanjing Dong Lu/ Guangfu intersection

Nanjing Dong Lu, Wu Duan…

Thanks…

-Jason[/quote]

Garbage trucks come by from around 6-10 everynight except Wednesday and Sunday. You carry your trash out and trow it in.

You must recycle paper, plastic bags, hard plastic, styrofoam, metal. Also kitchen waste. Seperate your food waste (bones, scraps, etc) and peelings. You throw these into seperate large buckets behind the garbage trucks.

Other than food wastes, you recycle different objects on different days. Where I am it’s plastic bags, paper, hard plastics on Mondays and Fridays. It’s cans and bottles and styrofoam on Tuesdays and Thursday.

Taiwan has a usary tax on the amount of trash you produce in the form of official trash bags that you must purchase that already include a trash tax in their inflated price. The more you recycle the less you pay. Recycling is free. Trash is collected every day and you are not allowed to leave trash out on the street or in dumpsters lest too many roaches or rats accumulate. Kudos to Taiwan for what I think is one of the best waste management policies in the world!!! :bravo: :bravo: :bravo:

However, the downside is that because of this tax, it is not easy to find a public street trash can, although they are there, just keep looking. If there were many trash cans with big openings some people would dump their household trash there to avoid the tax.

So it is mandatory to recycle now in the city. I live in Taipei county where it is voluntary for a little while longer, but in the city it is kind of mandatory. I think it is best to ask your neighbors as places / neighborhoods are a little different. I think those trash bags are clear and the trash man can write you up for a citation if he sees a big plastic milk jug in your trash bag, so watch out!

I think they recycle the usual, glass, metal, paper and even organic food waste at least they do here in the county. If you have other things you want to throw away like old clothes or something like a PC or old dehumidifier there is a way to have it taken away and recycled too.

You are living in one of the most crowded places on the planet with so many people living on such a tiny island, there is not a lot of space for a landfill that is not near someone else’s back yard.

WTF???[/quote]

Yup. Tho some products are made artificially much harder to recycle than they otherwise would be (plastic grocery bags, for instance, would be really really easy and efficient to recycle – except for the ink that they use to print the store’s name on the side of it, which makes it really difficult.)

The best way to be environmentally conscious and keep stuff out of landfills is the first two Rs of the three – Reduce consumption and Reuse things. For instance, those plastic grocery bags make great trash can liners, a job most people would just buy plastic bags for anyway. Obviously you can’t do that in Taiwan, but in other parts of the world it’s quite practical.

…I guess just about anything can be art supplies…?

1 Like

Also, in a lot of areas you’ll find Garbage Truck Chasers. These are private individuals who walk out when a truck comes or follow their routes. They’ll take all your paper, bottles, etc from you, and they’ll often want your old appliances as well. I support these folks as much as possible. Tough way to make a living, though…

Trucks usually come twice a night but NOT on Wednesday or Sunday.

Please recycle as much as you can, including plastic, metal, paper, cardboard, styrofoam, and old electronic products, and organic matter if you cook. Taiwan has gone through great changes and to great lengths to improve its environmental policies. As far as I know, it’s the only place in the world to ban giving away plastic bags. Do you realize how many of those things were winding up in landfills every year? Something like 1 BILLION! So kudos to the folks in government. :bravo:

For someone NOT to want to recycle… Man… :loco:

[quote=“Jefferson”]Also, in a lot of areas you’ll find Garbage Truck Chasers. These are private individuals who walk out when a truck comes or follow their routes. They’ll take all your paper, bottles, etc from you, and they’ll often want your old appliances as well. I support these folks as much as possible. Tough way to make a living, though…

[/quote]

Just make sure they aren’t dumping the stuff they don’t need.

[quote]
Please recycle as much as you can, including plastic, metal, paper, cardboard, styrofoam, and old electronic products, and organic matter if you cook. Taiwan has gone through great changes and to great lengths to improve its environmental policies. As far as I know, it’s the only place in the world to ban giving away plastic bags. Do you realize how many of those things were winding up in landfills every year? Something like 1 BILLION! So kudos to the folks in government. :bravo:

For someone NOT to want to recycle… Man… :loco:[/quote]

Totally agree. I’ve always said that if you haven’t become an environmentalist after living in Taiwan for 6 months, you’ve got no brains. As for recycling, remember everything you don’t recycle gets incinerated which means you may just end up breathing in that styrofoam container you tossed in the garbage.

Interestingly, about the plastic bag ban, Sweden was doing this when I was there in the late 80s. Cost about half an American dollar for one bag at a grocery store.

[quote=“Jefferson”]Also, in a lot of areas you’ll find Garbage Truck Chasers. These are private individuals who walk out when a truck comes or follow their routes. They’ll take all your paper, bottles, etc from you, and they’ll often want your old appliances as well. I support these folks as much as possible. Tough way to make a living, though…
[/quote]
Really, you support them? I’ve always thought they were scavangers and were up to no good, so I generally ignore them when they try to intercept me on my way to the “official” recycling operator on the truck.

I see them as providing a service and trying to eek out a living. Plus these folks are constantly on the look out for things. I see them looking through public garbage cans all the time. I guess I’d rather give them a couple of large bags full of plastic bottles and cans - make it easier for them to make a living. It might be a tough living, but it’s honest, and I admire their hard work.

Playing devil’s advocate:

Yet aren’t the legal/official collector’s the one’s being watched by the government and documented? And aren’t the unofficial ones taking business away from them?

What if the government thinks the official ones aren’t doing a very good job, looking at the numbers they put up. If they could document the true amount of recyclable trash out there, mightn’t they fund MORE official recycling trucks/people/ and large scale projects?

I respect the old ladies in my neighborhood who do this too, but are they helping or hurting the recycling programs already set up and running?

:idunno:

never mind - I support the Recycling Amahs also.

But I recycle my own beer baottles fior the deposit.

I guess very soon there are going to start recycle wars in this area, everyday I can see about 6 of them looking for recyclables … but maybe they are specialized in different stuff :s

One more question…and thanks to everyone for responding so quickly. DO I bring my recyclables and garbage to the same place? I’ve noticed that a garbage truck usually stops at a 7-11 near my place…

Yep but make sure to get the schedule from the driver for recyclables. Not sure if it’s the same for every district, but for me it’s Mon and Fri for paper, and Tues-Thu-Sat for plastic bottles and cans. I can never remember the day for styro and electronic goods or other plastic items! :blush:

I’ve started to accumulate quite the impressively large collection of bottles and cans. I’ve just been throwing them in one corner of my house and that pile has grown to epic proportions. Can I actually get money back from these bottles/cans or not? And where would I take them?
And yes, I already know I can take them out to the recycling truck.

I’ve always wondered why, with all the technology today, they can’t produce a biodegradable friendly alternative to plastic bags. I gather the problem is probably more so cost than technology, in that plastic bags are as cheap as it gets to produce.

How exactly do you get your deposit back for the bottles?

I’m embarrased to say that in Seattle, where recycling is compulsory, I recycled like crazy, but here in Taiwan, I can’t figure it out. :s