A new problem is emerging in regions devastated by the 921 quake: the urgent need to remove construction materials -- the remains of homes and other destroyed buildings -- from those areas to ensure a clean and safe environment for residents as they rebuild.
An even bigger task, however, would be to recycle the waste into a usable building resource. While EPA officials are considering efficient ways to do so, Taoyuan County officials have unveiled a new technology -- called the "magic wand" -- that promises nearly miraculous results.
To help Taoyuan residents overcome the "garbage wars," -- like the one which occurred two years ago when political wrangling ended up leaving 10,000 tons of uncollected garbage rotting on the streets of Chungli (中壢) -- county commissioner Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) has contacted well-known Japanese inventor Jiro Fujimasu. Fujimasu was the inspiration behind a chemical additive called "Fijubeton" that helps process waste materials into tiles, road bases and other construction materials.
"If you go to Pingchen (
Lu added that the technology applied in Taoyuan County could be successfully used in at least two disaster areas -- Nantou City and Choulan (
Dr Fujimasu, 88, expressed his sympathies to the victims and their families of the Sept. 21 earthquake. In addition to the 36,000 fresh apples he arranged to be sent from Japan as gifts for those who suffered in the tragedy, he said he would like to see his invention adopted in as many places as possible.
"No country can escape dealing with waste management problems, because we are consuming limited resources [for disposal] on this planet. However, Taiwan could become a resource-abundant country if it can convert waste into useful materials," said Fujimasu.
The 921 earthquake produced approximately 20 million tons of construction waste -- mainly concrete and rebar -- in disaster areas, mostly in Nantou and Taichung counties. And although the EPA has decided to transfer the waste to 84 available waste sites for temporary storage, it is also working on recycling schemes it hopes to implement by the end of November. The Oct. 22 quake in Chiayi has, unfortunately, made that task even tougher.
However, officials from Taoyuan County's Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Committee stressed yesterday that Fujimasu's technology would be the most efficient way to solve the problem, because recycling plants using the technology can deal with as much as 1,000 tons of mixed waste a day.
In addition, construction materials produced by using Fijubeton are free of defects such as deformation, contortion and discoloration which are commonly seen defects resulting from the use of other commercial recycling techniques, according to the committee.
"I was impressed when I saw Rainbow Bridge near Tokyo Bay for the first time three years ago. It's hard to imagine that part of it was made from garbage and hazardous waste," said the committee's director, Robert Lu (盧孝治).
"It's realistic to apply this technology ... to turn waste into construction materials such as covers for drains, bricks for building walls and roadbed material," said Garry Wu (
Wu also claimed yesterday that the cost of production would be half that of buying newly manufactured construction materials. However, he pointed out that the use of the technology, although supported by the Taoyuan County government, has still not been formally approved by the EPA.
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