A 'Zero Waste' policy for establishing a sound WEEE Material-cycle Society in Taiwan

摘要

In order to minimize the generation of waste and maximize recycling and reuse, the recycling and treatment of e-wastes were first initiated and announced by the government on July 5, 1997. In light of the enforcement of Article 10.1 of Waste Disposal Act (WDA), Taiwan EPA founded the "Recycling Management Fund (RMF)" to be in charge of all the recycling and treatment items on July 1, 1998. Manufacturers, importers and sellers must pay a recycle/disposal/treatment fee as the resource recovery management fund to fulfill the extended producer responsibility (EPR). RMF takes the major responsibility to recycle the due recycled waste, build recycle/treatment system and the execution of disposal work. In 2008, a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) "Zero Waste" policy for establishing a sound material-cycle society (SMC) had been proposed by the Taiwan government. This paper describes the present "Zero Waste" policy and status of WEEE in Taiwan. Some new requirements for the recycling scheme of WEEE and final disposal regarding 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) principle and environment concerns are presented. Also, some suggestions for establishing a sound WEEE material-cycle society are proposed to be done in the future.