Recycle in Taiwan

Wednesday 12 March 2014 at07:21

Taiwan is a small island with limited natural resources, most of the raw materials in Taiwan were imported. To solve the increasingly serious waste problem and encourage a closed-loop economy that minimizes resource loss, the Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan (EPAT) actively promotes resource recovery and has developed standards for collection, waste treatment and recycling of MSW. Among the wastes targeted by EPAT’s recycling and resource recovery program, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are increasing the most rapidly.
 The various materials contained in WEEE are complicated. They may include hazardous substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and chlorofluorocarbons. If WEEE is not collected, stored and recycled in an environmentally sound manner, these substances can cause harm to human health and the environment. At the same time, WEEE also contain valuable resources, including gold, silver, copper, and palladium, whose recovery can support a closed-loop economy. For these reasons, it has been important to EPAT to define standards for WEEE treatment and incentivize WEEE recycling as part of its broader recycling and resource recovery program.
EPAT’s recycling efforts began when the Waste Disposal Act of 1979 was amended in March 1997 to require recycling and resource recovery for selected MSW, or regulated recyclable wastes (RRW). EPAT established the 4-in-1 Recycling Program. This program integrates manufacturers and importers of new RRW products into a complete system that also includes recyclers, municipal collection teams, and community residents. To develop the 4-in-1 Recycling Program, EPAT looked at the policies of countries such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Germany, and adapted components of these systems to local culture. 

Who has the highest recycling rate in the world?

at07:20


Switzerland has the highest recycling rates in the world. In Zurich, Switzerland, they recycle everything. They will recycle about 76% of everything that is recyclable or around 50% of urban waste. Switzerland is not a country that is concerning much about environment but there are system in their place called financial incentives and having the infrastructure to make the citizen more convenient on finding job. How Switzerland do their recycling are quite unique and strict. They have to pay 1 Euro for each disposal bag and the bag need a sticker as a proof of payment. Without sticker they will not pick up the bag and they will fine you for not paying your waste disposal up to $10.000 if you were caught. There is also a lot of access to a proper waste management there. Every super market in the Switzerland has a bottle bank with separate bag for different color and batteries can be handed on the counter. In the town they has a free paper and green waste pick up and a lot of availability bin provide for aluminum, tin oil and chemical waste. There is a lot of recycle bin in the streets of Switzerland make it easier for the citizens to recycle their rubbish.

Interviews on Housewives

at07:19

We are going to do real life interviews from 3 housewives as we choose housewife as a persona previously. Interviews are made with 3 different types of housewives. The first interview will be on a full time housewife at the age of 54 with 3 children living in a HDB 3 room flat. Second interview will be on a full time housewife with 1 kid that lives in private property. Third Interview will be on a middle age housewife that also a working adult living in a HDB flat.  Having these interviews with housewives is to understand their daily lifestyle and their point of views in recycle. To find out what are the problems they face on recycle and what are their opinions. We choose to interview housewives instead of other people because we believe that they are the most suitable group of people for this topic. As housewives are people that take care of the house, doing cleaning and always busy in their daily life. We will be asking certain questions, such as


1.            What is your daily lifestyle?
2.            Do you recycle?
3.            What you know about recycle?
4.            If yes (no.2) How do you recycle?
5.            If no (no.2) What are the reasons you are not recycling?
6.            What are the problems you are facing on recycling?

7.            What is your opinion on this issue?