New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) has instigated a “trash war” by dumping truckloads of garbage in central and southern Taiwan, and has deceived the public by touting the Wugu Green Oasis (五股夏綠地) as one of his government’s best achievements, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members said on Wednesday.
Wugu Green Oasis, a 60-hectare park consisting of trees, lawns, art installations and playgrounds, in New Taipei City’s Wugu District (五股), was formerly an industrial-waste landfill, New Taipei City Councilor Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍) told a news conference.
“It is now a park, but in the past, this place was well known as ‘Wugu garbage mountain,’ with trash and waste covering 160 hectares,” Tai said.
Photo: Chueh Ching-lun, Taipei Times
“In its cleanup effort, the garbage from the site was transported and illegally dumped in other counties and cities,” Tai added.
Hou, who is vying for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential nomination, “has defrauded the public through his irresponsible garbage policy,” Tai said, adding that he has instigated a “trash war” in other regions.
DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said he has for many years followed issues of waste treatment in the nation.
“Where the Wugu garbage was taken is an open secret within the industry,” Hung said.
“Right now there are numerous trucks carrying industrial waste and municipal trash from New Taipei City, heading south to rural counties and townships,” Hung said.
“It will be dumped in farming villages, abandoned fields and ponds throughout central and southern Taiwan,” Hung added.
He derided Hou for having touted his city government for “having the courage to make change” by excavating the “Wugu garbage mountain,” transforming it into a park, which was inaugurated last year.
However, it is more akin to “the courage to deceive” by causing a “trash war” in other jurisdictions, Hung said.
In forming the Wugu Green Oasis, “the city government only patched up the surface, and did not get to the roots of problems at the site,” Hung said.
“They excavated the dump, loading garbage containing bricks, industrial material and municipal waste into trucks,” Hung added.
“Hou is very irresponsible for not treating the garbage properly... Now he is focused on quitting [his position as mayor] to run for president, leaving the ‘trash war’ for the next mayor,” he said.
New Taipei City is listed as having the largest production of sand and gravel, but it is Taiwan’s only jurisdiction without self-governance statutes, DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said.
It also has the highest production of industrial waste, while also having the lowest proportion of qualified waste-treatment firms, Chang said, adding that it transported the garbage to transfer the environmental damage to farms and unused land in other regions.
Critics should not disregard the work of city government employees, Hou told reporters when asked about the issue on Wednesday.
“All officials and staff are working diligently to reach project targets. Teams at the New Taipei City Government have made progress on social welfare, education and culture programs, so people must not obliterate their efforts,” he said.
The New Taipei City Environmental Protection Department said it has joined with public prosecutors to crack down on illegal dumping, and has formed a team to probe environmental crimes.
“If other regions find garbage or landfill waste from New Taipei City, they will certainly mete out fines and demand its return,” it said.
Officials in New Taipei City have set up a special police unit to prevent indiscriminate dumping, it said, adding that there is a strict monitoring process for waste disposal by construction companies.
A waste disposal plan must be submitted, clearly identifying types of waste, the amount and method of disposal, which must be approved before a project can start, the department said.
During construction, firms must regularly report the destination of transported waste, install GPS systems on trucks, and verify waste disposal and treatment before they can receive an operating license, it added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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