In January the government traced waste handlers used by local chemical companies and dug at several sites in southern Taiwan. They found thousands of barrels of buried waste similar to Formosa Plastics', which had been improperly stored or exposed to the environment.
While official statistics from the EPA and the Industrial Development Bureau (?u業局) appear to be inconsistent, activists have claimed that some of the waste has been dumped secretly or has been turned into construction materials such as road base.
Additionally, a June EPA report announced that five of 160 illegal dump sites discovered -- mostly in southern Taiwan -- were classified as being "an immediate danger" (立即|M害) to the health of nearby residents. EPA officials said they suspect soil and groundwater at these sites were contaminated with dangerous toxic chemicals.
According to a report released in January by the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation (
Amid these revelations, the Legislative Yuan revised the Waste Disposal Act in July to hopefully make life tougher for industrial polluters. In the event of injury or death caused by illegal dumping, industrial manufacturers and waste handlers can now be punished with life imprisonment or up to NT$5 million in fines.
Critics not so sure
Still, environmental policy experts say the legislature needs to improve laws covering the efficiency of hazardous waste cleanup programs.
"The revised Waste Disposal Act lacks considerations for long-term environmental effects," said Tsai Huay-jiun (
Tsai also pointed out that current environmental laws do not force polluters to restore the damaged environment, something Formosa Plastics didn't have to do in Cambodia.
"Recovering and restoring the environment is usually regarded as part of settling one's industrial conscience," he said.
"Taiwan was denounced in the international community due to FPG's behavior."
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