Environmental Management Administration

Landfills, as general waste disposal facilities, are considered local responsibilities. However, following the reorganization of the Environmental Management Administration, Ministry of Environment on Aug. 22, 2023, the governance philosophy has shifted toward regional management. To strengthen the operation and management of waste disposal facilities, ensuring their safety and proper use, the center has provided guidance for certain landfills within its jurisdiction including 19 landfills across Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County (City), and Lienchiang County.

Recent incidents of landfill fires have raised public concerns over landfill safety, severe air pollution, and potential environmental protection facility disaster risks. Relevant tasks have been set for the Northern Center of Environmental Management to manage temporary waste and piled materials at landfills and transfer facilities. Key focuses include inspecting relevant facilities' disaster risks, operational conditions, and deficiency. This will serve as the basis for implementing the center's 2024 landfill risk management work. In addition to conducting a general survey of operational landfills with piled household waste within the jurisdiction, a comprehensive risk assessment and evaluation is be carried out to ensure effective supervision and enhance the disaster prevention and operational management capabilities of these facilities.

The center has approved 10 cases under the 2023–2024 Landfill Improvement Subsidy Program, with a central government subsidy of NT$66.315 million. For the 2025 subsidy program, the center is currently collecting proposed subsidy projects and budgets from nine counties and cities in the northern region, amounting to approximately NT$42.65 million. Upon receipt of local applications, these proposals will be included in the preliminary review of the local subsidy program package.

The center conducts monthly reviews with counties and cities experiencing delays, urging them to promptly identify causes and formulate countermeasures while setting timelines to expedite the tendering process. The center continues to oversee and track the administration's Sanitary Landfill Subsidy Program, ensuring progress in program implementation and the disbursement of subsidy funds.

For high-risk landfills, the center has issued directives urging local governments within its jurisdiction to accelerate the establishment of waste treatment facilities while improving the management and operational efficiency of existing facilities, strengthening fire prevention and monitoring systems for landfills, ensuring the facilities' safe and continuous operation, timely disaster reporting, and emergency response capabilities. These measures aim to enhance the overall emergency response capacity of landfill facilities. Additionally, the center organizes monthly "Landfill Subsidy Program Review Meetings," where local environmental protection bureaus report on project progress and provide solutions for delayed cases. The center also advocates and plans for incorporating operational management, disaster prevention measures, and fire frequency analysis to develop feasible control mechanisms.

At the Zhudong Landfill in Hsinchu County, aside from on-site inspections and supervised improvement measures, experts and scholars were invited to perform audits, and the local environmental protection bureau was advised to consult their advice while engaging professional consultation firms for comprehensive short-, medium-, and long-term evaluation and planning. In response to Hsinchu County's future waste transfer needs at the landfill due to factors such as waste incinerator maintenance periods leaving no alternative transfer sites, the Environmental Protection Bureau has been asked to evaluate and install rain covers and leachate recovery systems, or consider a warehouse-style transfer station to protect the watershed's water quality and prevent recurring public and media concerns over waste piling.