Following China's policy of "restricting the import of foreign waste," the global landscape for industrial waste such as waste paper and waste plastics has been impacted, with a large amount of industrial waste being diverted to Southeast Asian countries, including Taiwan. Taiwan's imports of plastic waste in the first half of this year were 2.5 times higher than the same period last year. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) estimates that this could result in the import of 400,000 to 500,000 tons of waste paper and waste plastics this year. Therefore, on the 13th, the EPA announced amendments to the Waste Disposal Act, adjusting the quality of waste plastics and waste paper and the qualifications of importers to control imported industrial waste. In the future, waste plastics must be of a single material and form; waste paper will only be accepted in the form of kraft paper, cardboard, and corrugated paper, with no mixing of materials allowed. In addition to restricting the quality of imported waste, only legal factories will be allowed to import it, not traders. The new regulations are expected to take effect as early as October. "Those that conflict with domestic recycling will be prioritized for banning. We want high-quality processing, not low-quality processing that leaves pollution in Taiwan," emphasized Chang Tzu-ching, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). He specifically pointed out that unprocessed waste plastics cannot be imported into Taiwan. The regulations require single material and form, and in the future, only factories will be authorized to import them. Lai Ying-ying, Director of the Waste Management Division, explained that under current regulations, there are two ways to import industrial waste: one is to apply for a permit, and the other is to import the 15 types listed in the "Industrial Waste for Industrial Use" list, which does not require an application. The EPA's actual investigation of processing plants found that plastic waste mainly comes from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Mexico, and Germany, but some of it is clearly unsorted. This will increase processing costs and leave more unusable waste.
