A report by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration, notes that the country has recycled more than half of its electronic waste.
Stephen Shu-hung Shen, EPA minister, noted that 30-50 million tons of scrap electrical and electronic equipment are produced in the country every year.
The success the country has had with its recycling program includes the ability to set up recycling funds and put in place a four-in-one recycling program, he said.
Such achievements in recycling resources and cleaning technologies also drew international attention. Shen added that representatives from Thailand, the Czech Republic and Mongolia came to Taiwan to learn about the achievements this year.
By continuing to hold seminars on resources recycling, the EPA hopes to provide these experiences to other countries that are interested, he said.
According to the EPA figures, since the government began promoting the program in 1997, Taiwan’s overall recycling rate has increased from 5.87 percent in 1998 to 32.20 percent in 2008. If kitchen waste and bulky waste are included, the rate has risen to 41.96 percent.
These results are on par with those of the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, among others, according to the EPA.