Taiwan to Draft New Act to Boost Recycling

Resources Recycling Promotion Act will be drafted this year.

The current Waste Disposal Act and the Resource Recycling Act will be combined into a single “Resources Recycling Promotion Act” this year, according to plans by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). This will support recycling in Taiwan, encourage waste reduction at the point of generation, and advance green design.

The foundational legislation of Taiwan waste management and recycling system are the Waste Disposal Act and the Resource Recycling Act. Since 2005, there have been 18 years of discussions on merging the two acts. The Executive Yuan evaluated a draft of the new Act in 2013, but it was criticised for being thrown together quickly. The EPA intended to fully rewrite the draft Act, according to then-Deputy Director-General Chang Tzu-chin in 2016, but no further action was made after that. The EPA convened a series of meetings in March of this year with the goal of pushing the passage of the new Act.

The EPA intends to divide waste into three categories under the new Act based on their potential for recycling and to set waste reduction goals for producers, sellers, buyers, and manufacturers. Additionally, certain products will need to follow green design guidelines. Food packaging, for instance, must be constructed of a single material, and electronic devices must be simple to repair. The EPA will also urge businesses and educational institutions to give circular buying and reuse top priority.