The schedule is calculated base on the type and amount of materials contained in the waste, and the difficulty of collecting and recycling that waste.
“What the board does is connect the two ends of the recycling process — we collect the fees from manufacturers, and then reimburse the money to recycling companies, who collect the waste and turn it into reusable raw materials,” Lin said.
The third contributing factor to Taiwan’s recycling success is a transparent pricing schedule, which serves as an incentive for recyclers to turn in materials, Lin said.
“This is possibly the main reason why, say, our PEP plastic bottle recycling rate is 100 percent — both the public and recycling companies know how much they are worth, so nothing goes into the incinerator,” he said.
The final factor contributing to Taiwan’s success in recycling, Lin said, was the effort the board took to make the recycling process easy and convenient for people, Lin said.
“Although in the past few years societal values have been changing, consumers often place convenience over environmental protection. So it is imperative that we make recycling convenient,” he said.
Garbage trucks began to collect sorted recyclable wastes separately, making rounds into each and every community in the nation, Lin said, adding that certain specific types of waste, such as batteries, are also collected in convenience stores, which permeate the nation.
However, the actual results of the nation’s recycling policy are dependent on the public’s reaction.
“In the end, all recycled materials can be made into new products. But their market value depends on consumer acceptability,” he said.
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