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EPA schedules extra jobs to help recycling workers

In response to recent media reports that a drop in the price of many raw materials was causing recycling collectors financial difficulties — many of them making less than NT$100 per day — the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday unveiled an emergency employment program to help the collectors weather difficult times.

“From now until June, the EPA intends to hire 700 new temporary employees to help with garbage recycling and will pay them NT$450 for every half day they work,” said Liu Jui-hsiang (劉瑞祥), the administration’s recycling fund management board deputy executive secretary.

However, Liu said that as about 8,000 people were registered garbage recyclers — which excludes those who are not registered — the temporary program would offer limited help.

“This is an emergency program, which we will re-evaluate in two months,” Liu said.

“The workers can keep their original collection routines when they are not working for the EPA, which means that the salary they would receive from the EPA would be extra,” he said.

Unemployed individuals from the sector can apply for the positions at local environmental protection bureaus nationwide, Liu said.

After obtaining registration for the positions, jobseekers will be hired in the following priority order: women who support their families financially, unemployed persons aged between 40 and 65, Aboriginals, people who have been unemployed for more than five months, people with disabilities and unemployed college graduates, he said.

“For November and December, the EPA has allocated NT$22 million [US$668,000] to pay the temporary workers,” Liu said.

“By working 22 half days a month, the workers could earn NT$9,900 on top of their original income,” Liu said.

The government is also relaxing restrictions for exports of raw material to help regulate market prices as well as calling on various sectors to help alleviate the difficulties faced by the recycling industry, Liu said.
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