It was once nicknamed ‘Garbage Island’ but today Taiwan can proudly claim to be one of the world’s biggest recycling success stories.
The island which has a population of more than 23 million recycles 55 per cent of trash collected from households and businesses and 77 per cent of industrial waste. More than 1,600 recycling companies earn US$2 billion every year.
In the 1900s, citizens staged protests against the mounting waste. The government launched a waste management scheme under which companies handle their own garbage or pay a fee that funds government-run waste facilities. Citizens put their mixed waste into an official blue bag and recyclable materials like glass and paper in another bag.
Classical-music-playing trucks alter residents that it’s pick-up time. A yellow truck collects general trash, while a smaller white truck picks up recyclables. The stuff is then sorted and sent to recycling companies which turn them into different useful materials.
One called Miniwiz manufactures Polli-Bricks, interlocking panes made from old plastic bottles. There is a multi-storeyed building located in the heart of Taipei, the capital, built of Polli-Bricks!
Picture Credit : Google