Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) yesterday proposed an amendment to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) to forbid Taiwanese companies from dumping industrial waste in less-developed countries.
Some companies have exported such waste to countries such as Thailand to reduce waste disposal costs.
Wu cited two companies that received Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) approval to export a combined 300 tonnes of toxic waste to Thailand, where it is not recognized as toxic.
“Some companies issue forged documents [when exporting waste] or take advantage of another country’s political instability,” Wu said.
She proposed amending the Waste Disposal Act in the spirit of the Basel Convention, which calls for less international transportation of toxic waste.
Toxic waste that cannot be disposed of domestically should be exported to other developed countries that are able to process it, the proposal says.
However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民) said the proposed regulation would damage companies that have moved operations to China or Vietnam.
Wu questioned Chen’s concerns, saying that companies should be aiming to export good techniques rather than toxic materials.
A list of which nations Taiwanese firms may export waste to would be clarified after an amendment to Article 38 of the act is passed, EPA Deputy Minister Thomas Shun-Kuei Chan (詹順貴) said.
Permitted export destinations would include the member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, nations that have signed bilateral agreements on toxic waste disposal with Taiwan, or other nations announced by the government, Chan said.
Nations importing waste from Taiwan should possess the techniques to dispose of toxic waste safely, Chan said.
When asked how to avoid counterfeit certification, Chan said the EPA plans to establish a third-party review mechanism.
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