Environmental Management Administration

Since 2017, 24 refuse incineration plants in Taiwan have entered remediation phases, necessitating that some waste be disposed of in landfills each year. Although sanitary landfilling is one of the legal methods of waste disposal, most municipalities consider temporary storage as a transitional measure and still aim for incineration as soon as possible. As a result, waste brought into the landfills is not immediately leveled or covered with soil, leading to prolonged temporary storage of waste. According to statistics at the end of 2023, there were 53 landfills with exposed, temporarily stored waste, accumulating to a total of 840,000 metric tons. Approximately 80% of this waste was concentrated in Hsinchu County, Pingtung County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, and Taoyuan City. After several months of effort, the Ministry has adopted AI-based measurement techniques to monitor the volume of exposed waste in real time. Currently, the amount of accumulated waste has been steadily decreasing, though further efforts are still needed in the future.

Waste removal and disposal, according to the "Waste Disposal Act" and "Local Government Act", fall under the jurisdiction and autonomy of local governments. The central government, in its role as the competent authority, supervises local governments in implementing waste removal and disposal, optimizing environmental facilities, and organizing and improving related work.

Over the next three years, the Ministry will allocate NT$1.2 billion to subsidize and oversee local governments in leveling, covering, and landfilling incoming waste in accordance with regulations, as well as enhancing landfill organization, packaging, and disaster prevention measures. As of the end of September 2024, the volume of exposed waste had gradually decreased to 734,000 metric tons. The Ministry's refined strategies for managing exposed waste are as follows:

• Landfill Organization and Maintenance
  • (1) Covering, Landfilling, and Packaging of Exposed Waste: Subsidize and supervise local governments to cover, to landfill, and to sort exposed waste for packaging. Targets have been set for the phased treatment of 840,000 metric tons of exposed waste in landfills within designated timelines
  • (2) Control the improvement timeline for landfills with exposed waste: Request local governments to submit improvement timelines for landfills with exposed waste. Local governments are required to adhere to the phased targets and timelines approved by the Ministry. Monthly progress tracking and review meetings will be held to ensure compliance.
  • (3) Landfills with exposed waste located in environmentally sensitive areas will be prioritized for treatment.
    • 1. Landfills in water source protection zones must cease waste landfilling. For those used as transfer stations, alternative transfer sites must be identified. If current transfer functionality is still necessary, these stations should be converted to indoor storage-type transfer facilities.
    • 2. Landfills with smaller volumes of exposed waste should transfer their waste to major landfills for centralized treatment. This approach not only facilitates monitoring and management but also reduces treatment costs.
  • (4) Strengthening Governance through AI Technology Tools: Through UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) technology, a 3D digital model of landfills will be established to visualize the quantity and distribution of exposed waste. Optical LiDAR technology will be used to map the changes in the volume of exposed waste. Additionally, a national landfill monitoring platform will be established to track improvements in the exposed waste management.
  • (5) Enhanced disaster prevention and monitoring at landfills: infrared thermal imaging equipment is introduced, allowing AI to analyze environmental conditions based on temperature, smoke, and flame data. This enables early identification of abnormal conditions as well as reporting and implementation of disaster prevention measures before incidents happen or escalate. Subsidies are also provided for burials, landfill gas pipe installation, sorting and packing, and fire safety monitoring measures.
• Assisting Local Governments in Establishing Autonomous Treatment Facilities
  • (1) As of this year (2024), three new treatment facilities have been added in Taoyuan, Hualien, and Taitung, along with expanded processing capacity at the Sixth Naphtha Cracker Complex Incinerator to assist Yunlin County with waste processing. National incineration capacity has increased from 6.5 million tons per year to 6.81 million tons this year.
  • (2) In 2025, the Hsinchu County incineration plant will begin official operations, and by 2027, the Tainan City incinerator upgrade project will be completed. By 2027, national waste processing capacity is expected to reach seven million tons per year. Over the next three years, the ministry will supervise local governments to ensure waste is processed according to regulatory standards, including through incineration and sanitary landfilling.
• Current Progress and Results
  • (1) Regularly convening "Exposed Waste Disposal Progress Tracking Meetings": five meetings have been held this year on March 5, June 20, July 22, Aug. 7, and Sept. 26. These meetings incorporated data reported by municipalities on the national landfill monitoring platform. The ministry regularly tracks and supervises the progress of temporary waste disposal efforts by municipalities, urging them to achieve their targets on time and as required within three years.
  • (2) Gradual reduction in the number of landfills holding exposed waste and its volume: as of the end of September 2024, the nationwide volume of temporarily stored exposed waste has decreased from 840,000 tons to 734,000 tons.
  • (3) Ongoing subsidies for landfill management and consolidation projects: for landfills with severe exposed waste issues, priority funding has been provided to local governments to enhance burial, packing, landfill gas pipe installation, fire safety facilities, and the implementation of smart monitoring and disaster prevention measures. From June 2023 to October 2024, subsidies totaling NT$520 million have been approved for nine counties and cities, including Hsinchu County, Pingtung County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Taitung County, and Penghu County, to accelerate the resolution of waste pileup problems.
  • (4) Central government visits and coordination: Minister Peng has conducted on-site inspections of waste landfills or incinerators in Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Nantou County, New Taipei City, Penghu County, Kaohsiung City (Central Incinerator), Hualien County (Taiwan Cement DAKA Gasification Furnace), Taichung City (Dali Landfill), Chiayi County (Dalin Landfill and Lucao Incinerator), and Pingtung County (Xiaoliuqiu). The minister has also met with the magistrates of Pingtung County, Chiayi County, Hsinchu County, Penghu County, and Nantou County to understand the conditions of exposed waste storage and improvement measures. The ministry will continue visiting counties and cities and invite local leaders and environmental advocates to participate in discussions, expediting the proper resolution of waste management issues.

• Establishing a Smart Monitoring and Remote Enforcement Mechanism for Waste Clearance Vehicles

  In the past, while significant efforts were made to crack down on such crimes, most cases involved the discovery of massive amounts of illegally dumped waste, leading to high environmental restoration costs. The primary reason lies in the tactics used by illegal operators, such as turning off GPS devices during waste transportation or using unauthorized vehicles to carry waste, thereby evading waste logistics tracking regulations.

  To effectively monitor business waste flow and prevent pollution from spreading, it is necessary to develop an entirely new smart monitoring mechanism capable of achieving prevention and real-time intervention. From a pollution prevention perspective, the ministry has identified "remote enforcement" as a key policy and is planning comprehensive environmental improvement strategies with a forward-looking approach. The goal is to shift from reactive to proactive detection of pollution.We have established "AI Smart Fences for Illegal Dumping" in pollution hotspots to enable 24-hour remote monitoring of waste flow. Any irregularities in the operation of waste clearance vehicles will be addressed in accordance with the law, thereby enhancing enforcement efficiency and preventing the further spread of pollution.

• Results of Smart Analysis Operations

  The system recognizes the license plates of large vehicles and analyzes abnormal patterns using AI modules. This capability significantly reduces speculative behavior by illegal operators and supervises the rectification of abnormal trajectories in regulated waste clearance vehicles.Additionally, through object recognition and analysis of abnormal stopping points, the system has promptly identified and intervened in three locations actively experiencing illegal dumping, preventing the expansion of these dumping sites.

If environmental professional engineers (P.E.s) fail to conduct thorough pollution investigations for industries or confirm whether pollution control facilities have enough capacity to handle pollutants, it not only leads to exceeding regulatory limitations and increasing environmental burdens but also affects the quality of life of the public.

To maintain the quality of environmental protection P.E. certifications, the ministry collaborates with local authorities annually to jointly conduct verification works for P.E. certification cases. The number of verifications for the current year is based on 10% of the total certification cases from the previous year, with priority given to P.E.s with a high volume of certifications and poor certification quality. According to statistics, from 2023 to September 30, 2024, a total of 525 cases were verified. The common deficiencies found include errors in mass balance calculations, mistakes and omissions in written document data, failure to note special conditions of the plant in working papers, and inconsistencies with environmental engineering principles.

To enhance the quality and professional knowledge of P.E. certifications, in addition to continuing the verification works, the ministry will establish a Digital Academy for P.E. Certification. This will allow engineers to learn key points, procedures, and the latest regulations of certification without being restricted by location, time, weather, or transportation. The academy's operational mechanism includes "passive learning," "active learning," and "automatic management" modes. In addition to proactively providing learning channels for practicing engineers, those with poor certification performance and first-time practitioners must learn online. A question bank will be designed for learning, and tests will be conducted after completing the courses. Subsequently, an automatic analysis module will analyze the learning status of engineers to serve as a reference for selecting verification targets. It is hoped that through the academy mechanism, the quality and fundamental skills of engineer certifications can be improved

To enhance environmental quality, on June 5, 2024, the ministry invited Minister of Culture, Mr. Li Yuan, members of the Executive Yuan Youth Advisory Committee, the environmental organization "Girls in the Oasis" from Taipei First Girls High School, the founder of "Rethink," the Tzu Chi Foundation, convenience stores, businesses, and other civil groups to organize the "Reduce Cigarette Butts, Clean Environment, National Alliance Launch—Starting from Changing Culture" event. The "Nationwide Cigarette Butt-Free Plan" was formulated, promoting six key strategies and 21+N measures. The goal is to change culture, effectively extinguish cigarettes, avoid smoking while walking, and dispose of cigarette butts in trash bins to make the environment more beautiful. On June 5, the "Reduce Cigarette Butts, Clean Environment + N Creative Submission" event was announced. The initial review took place on Aug. 19, the shortlist was announced on Sept. 2, the winners were revealed on Oct. 18, and the awards ceremony and project presentation took place on Nov. 22.

On June 18 and 19, 2024, relevant agencies, local governments, and environmental groups were invited to discuss the implementation methods for the "Nationwide Cigarette Butt-Free Plan." On July 9, the plan was announced for implementation. The six strategies and 21+N measures were promoted through "cultural change," "source reduction," "inspection and enforcement," "environmental cleanup," "public-private collaboration," and "strengthened research."

To provide smokers with a place to dispose of cigarette butts, the "Guidelines for Installing Cigarette Butt Disposal Boxes" were formulated. On May 30, June 19, and June 27, 2024, local governments and businesses were consulted, and the plan was announced for implementation on July 9. Priority was given to areas where cigarette butts are commonly discarded. Currently, cigarette extinguishing barrel have been installed in the Kinmen business district, and cigarette butt bins are also in place in the Fengjia commercial area in Taichung. Smokers are urged to properly extinguish their cigarettes and dispose of the butts in the bins. As of the end of September, 3,759 cigarette disposal boxes have been installed or coordinated with businesses by local environmental protection agencies.

To strengthen the public's awareness that "a cigarette butt-free environment is a more beautiful environment," public resources such as LED public service messages and radio public service broadcasts were actively used. From June 16 to June 30, 2024, LED scrolling messages were broadcast at 73 locations nationwide, and from July 1 to July 31, 2024, radio broadcasts were aired at 198 radio stations, with a total of 11,967 broadcasts.

To improve the quality of the living environment, the "Environmental Sanitation Inspection and Control Plan" was formulated and implemented on June 17, 2024. The plan targets littering cigarette butts, garbage, standing water in vacant lots, houses, and construction sites. Special inspections will be carried out, and the implementation effectiveness will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

• Renovation and Construction of High-Quality Public Restrooms

  According to the Executive Yuan-approved "Promotion Plan for High-Quality Public Restrooms and Beautiful Environments" (2019 to 2024), subsidies have been provided to local governments for the construction and renovation of public restrooms to enhance the quality of restroom environments, creating a safe, comfortable, and dignified restroom experience. As of September 2024, 4,290 public restrooms have been newly built or renovated, reaching the target of 4,000 restrooms.

  The Executive Yuan approved the "Promotion Plan for Beautiful Environments" (2025 to 2030) on April 3, 2024, with a budget of NT$7.7081 billion. This plan will continue to support the renovation and replacement of old public restrooms, assist local governments in environmental recovery after natural disasters, and promote environmental beautification, incorporating local characteristics to create special demonstration sites (such as themed public restrooms). On April 16, the Ministry of the Interior submitted a report on the cost-benefit analysis of the selected and alternative plans for this initiative to the Legislative Yuan for reference.

  On April 17, 2024, the "Public Restroom Construction and Renovation Project Supervision Guidelines" were established and sent to local governments for implementation. These guidelines cover the three main stages: design, bidding, and construction execution, providing local governments with guidance and supervision to ensure the timely progress of public restroom projects and improve their quality.

  To enhance the aesthetics of public restrooms and create a comfortable, reassuring, and pleasant environment for users, a public restroom design competition was held. The goal was to bring in more innovative ideas to improve the spatial and service quality of public facilities. After three months of submissions, 24 entries were received, and three first-place winners and five second-place winners were selected. The awards ceremony and presentation took place on July 1, 2024.

  Public restrooms are spaces designed to serve the public, providing a comfortable, safe, and dignified restroom experience. To ensure no one is left out, the "Gender-Friendly Restroom Expansion Action Plan" was announced on Aug. 6, 2024. The plan includes strategies such as "standard equipment installation," "expert consultation," "gender-friendly restroom signage," "including gender-friendly restrooms in the evaluation of high-quality public restrooms," "defining gender-friendly restrooms," "advocacy, seminars, and demonstrations," "including in local performance assessments," and "subsidizing local construction or renovation." The goal is to increase the number of gender-friendly restrooms from 623 in 2024 to 1,246 by 2029, fulfilling the national Sustainable Development Goals (SDG5 for gender equality, SDG6 for environmental sanitation, and SDG11 for building inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities).

• Promoting Public Restroom Quality Improvement

  To encourage both public and private sectors to provide high-quality restroom spaces and services for the public, an evaluation event was organized. The event introduced new categories, including "Business Contributions," "Outstanding Gender-Friendly Public Restrooms," and "Outstanding Cleaning Units," along with a new public voting mechanism. To improve the functionality of public restroom QR codes, four user-friendly features were added, allowing the public to provide immediate feedback on necessary improvements, and management units are required to address these issues promptly.

  On July 26, 2024, the "Public Restroom Management and Maintenance Guidelines" were established and sent to local governments for implementation. These guidelines outline the principles for managing and maintaining public restrooms. The promotion of restroom culture is also emphasized through radio broadcasts, encouraging the public to adopt good restroom habits, such as "flushing toilet paper," "cleaning up after oneself," and "thanking restroom cleaning staff with words like 'the restroom is clean, thank you.'"

On Sept. 23, 2023, the Executive Yuan approved the "Paying Tribute to the Oceans—the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Program (2024-2027)." The program is a collaboration among nine government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Finance, Council of Agriculture, Ocean Affairs Council, Ministry of Education, and this Ministry. The program aims to systematically clean up and manage coastal waste, along with source reduction efforts. The plan utilizes a three-tiered mechanism: "Regular Cleanup," "Immediate Cleanup," and "Emergency Cleanup," ensuring that every inch of the 1,990 kilometers of Taiwan's coastline is kept clean.

Since 2020, central government agencies and local governments have invested manpower and funds into cleaning their respective coastlines. As of Sept. 30, 2024, over more than 255,000 tons of waste have been cleaned removed from Taiwan's shores. The ministry has also collaborated with environmental NGOs every quarter to conduct coastal waste surveys, resulting in a decrease in coastal waste from 2,294 tons in 2019 to 940 tons in 2023, representing a 60% reduction. From January to June 2024, 211 coastal sections were adopted by 346 groups, covering 231.4 kilometers, and 1,364 beach cleaning applications were processed.

To prevent land-based waste from flowing into rivers, the ministry has partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Water Resources Agency to implement river waste interception operations. As of Aug. 31, 2024, Taiwan has established 16,259 fixed interception points, including 2,814 at weirs, 213 at pumping stations, and 13,232 at other points. Additionally, mobile interception points totaled 41,832, with 43,000 tons of waste intercepted.

In late July 2024, Typhoon Kemi caused significant coastal waste accumulation. In response, the ministry activated its emergency cleanup mechanism. After the typhoon warning was lifted on July 26, the ministry issued a reminder on July 27 to coastal management units to conduct post-typhoon inspections and cleanup operations. On Aug. 6, 2024, Executive Yuan Minister Without Portfolio Chen Teh and led the ministry's visit to Changhua County to assess the cleanup efforts. Later that day, a coastal operations observation meeting was held at Taichung Port, where representatives from the Port Authority shared their coastal waste management experiences with 111 participants.

Since 2017, the ministry has collaborated with environmental organizations to establish the "Taiwan Marine Debris Governance Platform," which regularly holds meetings and creates action plans in five main areas: "source reduction," "recycling and alternatives," "interception and removal at the endpoint," "research on the impacts of marine debris and policy development," and "expanded collaboration and participation." These efforts are guided by "policy direction" and "clear action plans." On March 8 and July 30, 2024, the ministry, in collaboration with the Ocean Affairs Council, convened the 22nd and 23rd meetings of the platform, inviting 13 environmental NGOs and other agencies to discuss revisions to the third version of the "Guidelines for the Taiwan Marine Debris Management Platform Action Plan," which was finalized on May 16, 2024.

The ministry, together with the Minister of Health and Welfare, jointly presides over the "Executive Yuan Important Mosquito-borne Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Meeting," held once a month and adjusted as necessary in response to changes in the epidemic situation. Central government agencies and local governments are invited to convey epidemic prevention policies and various prevention and control work results, and to supervise the central government agencies in clearing breeding sources of disease-carrying mosquitoes in "vacant land, vacant houses, and public construction sites."

The ministry is continually promoting measures to improve dengue fever prevention and control. To prepare early for dengue fever prevention and control and to prevent its occurrence, as well as to ensure the effective clearing of breeding sources, the operational capability was increased efforts have been made to enhance operational capability. The 2024 Dengue Fever Prevention and Control Improvement Measures were drafted. On Jan. 25, 2024, environmental protection units were convened for discussion, and on Feb. 26, 2024, the "Top Ten Dengue Fever Prevention and Control Improvement Measures for 2024" were issued: implementing health education advocacy, mobilizing to eliminate breeding sources, major mobilization plans, establishing basic data and location mapping, inspections and evaluations, external audits, strengthening inspections of vacant houses, land, and construction sites, equipment dispatch, drug preparation, and limiting pesticide spraying to essential cases only.

Local governments conducted 8,414 health education sessions from January to August 2024. On May 21, 2024, a field exercise for dengue fever regional joint defense was held in Chiayi County. On May 23, 2024, a meeting for eliminating dengue fever breeding sources was held in Gukeng Township, Yunlin County. On June 1, 2024, the minister supervised a dengue fever breeding source elimination rally in Pingtung County. On June 1, 2024, the minister inspected the dengue fever patrol and breeding source clearance in Yicai Village, Anping District, Tainan City, and thanked the epidemic prevention personnel. On June 15, 2024, the minister participated in the Kaohsiung City "Trace-free Mountain Cleaning Activity" to advocate for dengue fever patrol and breeding source clearance. On Aug. 1, 2024, the minister inspected post-disaster recovery in Tainan City and urged the implementation of dengue fever patrol and breeding source clearance.

In response to flooding caused by Typhoon Gaemi and subsequent rainstorms, on July 26, 2024, the ministry issued a letter requesting all environmental protection bureaus to continue inspections of high-risk breeding sources and strengthen drainage ditch cleaning. On Aug. 1, 2024, the minister inspected post-disaster recovery in Tainan City and called for the implementation of dengue fever patrol and breeding source clearance. On Aug. 15, 2024, the ministry issued a letter to local governments to pay attention to water accumulation after rain, strengthen environmental cleaning, mosquito breeding source elimination, and environmental disinfection. To reduce the risk of a dengue fever outbreak, the ministry urged the strengthening of dengue fever prevention and control work. On Oct. 4, 2024, in response to Typhoon Krathon, the ministry issued a letter requesting environmental protection bureaus to strengthen environmental inspections in their jurisdictions and issued a public reminder to citizens to proactively check the interior and exterior of their homes after the storm, ensuring the elimination of mosquito breeding sources.

Material preparation and inspections were carried out. The ministry inventoried the machinery and drugs available nationwide for environmental cleanup operations. In 2024, the ministry subsidized local environmental protection bureaus a total of NT$40,514,225, handling various dengue fever prevention and control tasks, including the purchase of epidemic prevention supplies, drugs, spraying machines, lawnmowers, etc.; carrying out environmental health, pest control, and other inspections and rechecks, as well as hiring workers. From January to August 2024, the ministry supervised local governments in their inspections, mobilizing 692,987 personnel, eliminating 1,222,747 breeding sources, spraying at 34,897 locations, and issuing 3,478 citations.