With the proliferation of 24-hour self-service coin-operated laundromats across the city, the Taipei City Government on Tuesday said it would begin inspections to make sure that noise from the outlets late at night does not disturb people living nearby.
Although the laundromats are convenient for people with busy lives, they can disturb neighborhoods if owners do not take appropriate measures, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection said.
The city has issued business licenses to 424 laundromats, 169 of which are self-service outlets, the department said.
The department in 2015 received 167 complaints from the public and 119 complaints last year, it said, adding that of these, 53 in 2015 and 39 last year were about noise pollution.
Inspections of the city’s 169 self-service laundromats, and their effects on air, water and noise pollution, would begin this month, the city said.
Outlets that have violated environmental regulations would be given a period of time to make improvements and listed as priority inspection targets, and officials would visit the shop at least three times within one month after the stipulated period is over, the department said.
The department said it issued environmental protection and management guidelines to laundromats in April so that owners could improve their management of shops and limit disturbance to neighborhoods.
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