When compared with Changhua County’s success in addressing the issue of waste management, it appears that the Nantou County Government plans to rely entirely on its project to build an incinerator in Mingjian Township (名間). This approach is one-sided; other viable solutions should be considered.
In response to the controversy over the potential environmental impacts of the incinerator project, the Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau reportedly stated that all of Taiwan’s seven incinerators are located on farmland, yet there is no concrete evidence of any significant impact on agriculture after 20 years of operation, but can this claim withstand scientific scrutiny?
Furthermore, if there has truly been no impact, where are the data on air, water and soil quality? Was no such testing conducted?
When it comes to potential environmental pollution, the Nantou County Government should respond on the basis of scientific data, put itself in local residents’ shoes and exhibit a genuine effort to address the public’s health concerns.
While incinerators might serve as a short-term solution to the urgent issue of waste disposal, the pollution risks they pose must not be overlooked — the dioxins and heavy metals are produced from their operation and the flying ash created by burning waste might have long-term impacts on both public health and the environment.
In the case of Nantou County — an agriculturul and tourism region renowned for its beautiful mountains and rivers — constructing an incinerator could damage the land, water and air quality. This would inevitably harm the image and reputation of local agricultural products and tourists’ confidence, thereby dealing a significant blow to the local economy. We must remain wary of such risks.
The Nantou County Government should re-evaluate all possible paths for addressing the issue of waste management and disposal. It should look to Changhua County’s practical experience, starting with addressing the issue at its source by reducing overall waste, promoting stricter, yet economically sensible, waste sorting policies, and comprehensively strengthening resource and food waste recycling measures. All of these efforts could serve as a basis for assessing both the scale and appropriate location of any proposed incinerator.
At the same time, in the face of possible controversies surrounding the potential impacts of incinerators, the government must respond on the basis of scientific tests and data, conduct comprehensive and transparent environmental impact assessments, and engage in pragmatic public debate. Such an approach would demonstrate to the local community and the public the local government’s sincerity and expertise — a much better approach than responding to external concerns and criticism with mere assumptions or speculative reasoning.
Through the strict sorting of waste and garbage bag inspections, Changhua County has effectively reduced the volume of waste and enhanced the public’s environmental awareness, thereby offering a low-cost, highly efficient model of avoiding the need for more incinerators and the pollution risks they pose.
Hopefully this approach is enough to encourage the Nantou County Government to brainstorm alternative ideas and creative solutions to waste management, thereby charting the course for a more sustainable future for the county’s residents and the environment.
Siao Hung-jung is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at Tamkang University. Hu Wen-chi is spokesman for the People First Party.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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