The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled two amendments to laws governing recycling to accomplish circular economy benchmarks as part of Taiwan’s policy to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The government has prepared amendments to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) and the Resource Recycling Act (資源循環推動法), including renaming the latter as the resource circulation act, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference. The bills are to be sent to the Legislative Yuan.
The Waste Disposal Act amendments would broaden the law’s mandate to govern the recycling of agricultural and industrial waste, including the handling of inoperative solar panels and wind turbines, officials said. The issue had sparked public discontent in the aftermath of Typhoon Danas last year, which led to the haphazard disposal of many storm-damaged panels and turbine parts.
Photo: CNA
Under the bill, the responsibility for disposing of solar panels, turbine blades and other new forms of industrial waste would fall on the manufacturers, importers and operators of the devices.
Failure to properly dispose of such waste would be a criminal offense punishable by up to seven years in prison, compared with the current five years, and a fine of up to NT$15 million (US$472,471).
Contravening the regulations in zones that have been designated as environmentally or ecologically sensitive would result in a 50 percent increase in the penalties, the bill says.
Changes to the law would streamline the regulatory authority in charge of supervising waste management by establishing a chain of custody and simplified certification mechanisms, the Cabinet said.
The government would install monitoring technology dubbed “digital fences” in areas at risk of being used as illegal dumping grounds, it said.
The proposed resource circulation act would expand government oversight to encompass the full life cycle of industrial products — from their design, manufacture, and operation to disposal and recycling, officials said.
SET News cited officials as saying that the draft would authorize the government to establish a national resource circulation plan to be revised every five years and a dedicated multi-agency committee to set relevant policies.
The government would mandate standards for degradable, recyclable or environmentally friendly raw materials for use in manufacturing and construction, and require industries to increase the use of recycled materials, the officials said.
Lee cited Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as telling officials that the amendments are meant to bring Taiwan’s regulations to international standards and facilitate the growth of the recycling sector, which annually generates NT$168.8 billion in value.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS