A record-high number of waste collection vehicles have been equipped with an Environmental Protection Administration GPS tracking system to monitor the flow of toxic materials and deter illegal disposal.
The EPA yesterday said its GPS system was fitted in a total of 8,888 trucks in the nation as of last year, a significant increase from 270 vehicles in 1992, following an amendment to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) that requires vehicles transporting regulated waste to install the GPS tracking device.
The 8,888 trucks account for 64 percent of all vehicles in the nation that transport regulated waste, with those containing the GPS system shipping 14 million tonnes of industrial wastes last year, Department of Waste Management Director Wu Sheng-chung (吳盛忠) said.
Regulated waste includes 267 types of industrial waste, such as chemicals, sludge, solution, medical waste and animal corpses, while reusable waste, including slag and waste building materials, represents a majority of industrial waste transported, or 9.3 million tonnes.
The tracking system detects about 10,000 suspected violations every year, according to vehicle activity and route analysis. About 0.9 percent of suspected violations can be verified, while most violations involve illicit transportation of dead pigs, Wu said.
Twenty-nine percent of trucks equipped with the GPS system are in central Taiwan, while 27 percent are in southern regions and 20 percent in northern regions, which matches the distribution of industries in the nation.
Local environmental agencies can enter an illegal dumping hotspot into the system, which issues a warning any time a vehicle with a tracking device enters the hotspot, with 1,300 hotspots nationwide already in the system, Wu said.
However, when questioned by reporters over the tracking system monitoring the flow of regulated waste from their sources to processors and recyclers, but being unable to detect subsequent transportation and illegal dumping by untrackable vehicles, Wu said that the system is not flawless.
“The system can only be used to monitor registered vehicles, but it is more or less powerless against intentional violators, who can hire unregistered vehicles to transport waste undetected. However, the practice is illegal and liable to heavy punishment, while we are planning a new tracking device with new technology,” he said.
Wu said the new device could not be revealed yet and urged waste processors to abide by the law.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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