Used food oils can be turned into bio-diesel fuel and alleviate energy shortages, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday, urging families and small businesses to join the fight against the energy crisis.
"Since September 1st last year, the administration has mandated organizations in the public and private sectors to turn in their used frying oil to certified recycling collection agencies so that the oil can be made into diesel fuel," the director-general of the EPA's Solid Waste Control Ho Soong-chin (
Mandated organizations included all schools, governmental departments, fast food chains and food manufacturers, Ho said.
She also said that local governments have handed out collection buckets and coached cleaners to register their collection amounts online.
2,500 TONNES
The EPA estimates that with the current collection capacity, about 2,500 tonnes of waste oil could be collected annually, she said, although families generally do not produce a lot of used frying oil.
"The EPA is concurrently promoting the separation of domestic kitchen waste and oil waste -- in view of the rising fuel shortage domestic users should also join in and recycle their oils," she said.
FOOD STALLS
Street food stalls, many of which sell fried foods, are the EPA's next targets for its promotional programs, she said.
"Vegetable oils, lard, butter or other animal fats including oil drippings from roasting meats, should all be considered waste oils and be collected," she said.
"Simply place them in plastic tubs and hand them to your local garbage truck staff," she said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain