The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced that Tainan City, along with Taipei and Yilan counties,were the top winners in an annual environmental cleanliness ranking compiled by the agency.
Officials said there was marked improvement in the last year, especially among smaller municipalities and townships, and expressed optimism the trend would continue.
Chen Jun-jong (陳俊融), an EPA official coordinating the event, said many local governments were becoming more environmentally conscious and had increased the efficiency of clean-up teams, resulting in cleaner surroundings.
Citing Tainan City, Chen said that a new waste pickup hotline dramatically decreased the amount of discarded garbage. The hotline promises to send a cleaning crew to pick up large pieces of waste within 12 hours.
In Taipei County, a large-scale crackdown on smokers illegally disposing of cigarettes resulted in more than 8,000 fines and far fewer cigarette butts on city sidewalks.
It was the third straight year that Tainan City and Taipei County have won the top accolades.
The EPA also released an annual compilation of the nation＊s cleanest public toilet facilities.
Officials said that of the 41,000 surveyed, more than 80 percent fulfilled agency criteria, which included factors such as dampness, cleanliness and odor.
Toilets in 20 government buildings, including in Taipei and Hsinchu Counties, won "Outstanding Awards."
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
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