The use of slag in building materials is to be suspended for three months after untreated slag was found in adulterated concrete at the Taipei New Horizon complex, with the management of the substance taking center stage at a Legislative Yuan Education and Culture Committee meeting yesterday.
The structural integrity of slag-laced concrete, pollution caused by illicit dumping of slag and problems of recognizing the material as a product were major discussion topics at a question-and-answer session at the meeting.
The management of slag has become an issue of public concern since swellings and peelings were found on the complex’s exterior walls, which are made using concrete mixed with slag, while the supplier of the concrete, Asia Cement Corp, said its Ya-tung Ready-Mixed Concrete factory was given adulterated materials by its raw-materials supplier.
NATIONWIDE ISSUE?
The debate has raised concerns over the possibility of materials used in buildings nationwide containing slag.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and Industrial Development Bureau, the two major authorities of slag and industrial waste management, have a total of less than 10 employees and a limited budget to monitor the reprocessing and reusing of slag, with EPA Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) to describe the two authorities as “toothless and weaponless.”
Industrial Development Bureau Director-General Wu Ming-ji (吳明機) said that while it is legal to make blended cement with slag, the bureau decided to suspend the practice for three months due to concerns over the safety of slag cement.
During the three-month suspension period, the bureau is to try to establish a traceability system of furnace slag and streamline the flow of the material, as well as standardizing the stabilization procedure of slag, Wu said.
The Construction and Planning Agency said it suggested banning the use of slag in all building materials.
“The suspension must extend to all types of electric arc furnace slag, be it oxidizing slag or reducing slag, because there is hardly any management at all, and improper treatment and illegal use of slag has become rampant due to poor management,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said.
THREE-LEVEL SYSTEM
DPP Legislator Wu Kun-yuh (吳焜裕) asked government units to establish a three-level waste management system consisting of factory-level, local government-level and central government-level officials to improve the existing system.
DPP Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) raised concerns over regulations that allow treated slag to be recognized as a product instead of waste, thereby opening a loophole for reprocessors to deal with slag not in accordance with the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), leading to repeated illegal dumping.
Chen called on the government to classify slag solely as industrial waste so it can be treated under stricter regulations and a single authority.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their