Taipei’s “total recycling, zero landfill” entry won second place in this year’s Metropolis Awards, which honor projects that improve the quality of life for cities, city government officials said yesterday.
The award represents the success of the city’s recycling program, Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Wei-jen (陳威仁) told a press conference.
Taipei began its “pay as you throw” trash collection system in 2000. Under the system, residents must purchase trash bags sold by the government to dump their household waste.
The policy encourages residents to separate their recyclables and reduce their overall volume of waste, according to the city government.
Citing the significant drop in waste volume from 2,501 tonnes per day in 1994 to 59 tonnes per day in 2009 at the Shanchuku landfill in Nangang District (南港), the city government said the goal of eventually achieving zero landfill was attainable.
The award is presented by the Spain-based Metropolis Association. Created in 1984, the association is represented by more than 100 cities and operates as an international forum that explores issues and concerns common to all big cities and metropolitan regions.
Taipei and Greater Taichung have been members of the association since 2008.
The award is presented once every three years. Panels award projects or events that focus on urbanism, the environment, housing, public transport, security, economic, social and cultural development.
The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on Nov. 25 in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Chen will represent Taipei at the awards.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
A KFC branch in Kaohsiung may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,907 and US$6.37 million), after a customer yesterday found an entire AAA battery inside an egg tart, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. The customer was about to microwave a box of egg tarts they had bought at the fast-food restaurant’s Nanzih (楠梓) branch when they checked the bottom and saw a dark shadow inside one of them, they said in a Threads post. The customer filmed themself taking the egg tart apart to reveal an entire AAA battery inside, which apparently showed signs of damage. Surveillance footage showed
GROUP EFFORT: The number of inbound travelers rose 11 to 12 percent last month, with a significant increase in tourists from Europe and North America, an official said The government aims to attract 9.4 million visitors this year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, citing last year’s success in diversifying tourist markets. Taiwan last year drew about 8.57 million international arrivals, 72.3 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. By contrast, the nation had about 18.94 million outbound tourists last year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 level of 17.1 million. The estimated tourism revenue deficit was about NT$700.9 billion (US$22.22 billion). Taoyuan International Airport Corp expects more than 160,000 passengers to pass through the nation’s largest airport daily during the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday. As of Jan. 30, the nation’s average hotel occupancy rate
RSS