Two weeks before Taipei City is to implement its new garbage disposal initiative, city residents and borough wardens appear to approve of the plan even though they say there is still room for improvement.
Starting July 1, charges for domestic waste will be based on the volume of trash each individual household generates, as opposed to the current system which bases fees on water consumption.
Only regulation-sized bags will be accepted for collection. People found not using regulation-sized bags or caught leaving garbage outside specified garbage collection points will face fines ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$4,500. Those who inform authorities of such illegal acts will receive 20 percent of the fines collected as a reward.
Each household will be issued ten 33-liter garbage bags for free, plus discount coupons totaling NT$330 for additional bag purchases. Residents are encouraged to take the coupons to the nearest supermarket or convenience store before Aug. 31 and exchange them for approved garbage bags.
The bags come in six different sizes: 5-liter, 14-liter, 33-liter, 45-liter, 76-liter and 92-liter.
Recyclables such as cans, jars, newspapers and clothes, however, may be put in plastic or paper shopping bags for collection.
Chiu Cheng-tzu (邱政子), a 58-year-old housewife living in a 12-household building in Tienmu, said the new initiative would not make much difference to her since she pays NT$400 a month for someone else to take care of her garbage.
"It's rather inconvenient for me and my husband to wait around for the garbage truck every day," she said.
Lin Yi-tsu (
"I wash a lot so I use plenty of water but don't generate much trash, so I don't think it's fair to charge garbage fees based on water consumption," she said.
Wang Hsiu-chin (
"They're asking us to change our way of handling garbage," she said. "Besides, how are they going to catch those who leave garbage outside specified garbage collection points?"
Wang proposed having at least two collection times a day for the convenience of workers like her so she does not have to rush back home before 7pm to catch the garbage truck.
"Also, it's not a bad idea to let us know in advance when truck is coming, say three minutes before," she said.
Since the new program was made public, some of the city's borough wardens and neighborhood chiefs have begun to make their dislike for the initiative known, saying the new system is a major waste of their time.
Tang Chung-cheng (
"Even though it is a hassle to distribute the bags, it's a good initiative," he said. "Nevertheless, other supplementary measures need to be worked out. For example, there used to be small trucks visiting small alleys and lanes collecting recyclables, but now there are only three specified recyclable collection points in my borough."
According to Tang, Chingchung borough is about 2.2km2 in size -- including Sungshan Airport -- and has as many as 2,000 households and six parks.
Tsou Shih-ken (
"Even though I have to team up with neighborhood chiefs and spend time distributing garbage bags, I don't mind doing it because it's my job," he said.
"I think that it's a good measure and it deserves the support of the public."
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