Taiwan's United News Network reported on August 29 that since January, a total of 86 countries' 'foreign garbage' from five continents have flooded into Taiwan, and it has more than one million tons and is filled with 40,000 containers.
Part of the 'foreign garbage' terminal is a waste paper factory in central Taiwan. The area of waste paper and paper bricks has exceeded 4 football fields, and many of them are also printed with US addresses. Some recyclers lament, I really don't understand' Taiwan’s garbage can’t be processed, but it’s still imported outside.
Taiwan media said that the influx of waste paper and waste plastics has seriously impacted the island's garbage collection system: In the past, every kilogram of garbage could be exchanged for NT$4 to NT$1 (US$1, NT$0.22), and it has now fallen to 1 To NT$2.
Many people have given up the scavenging, but there are also some people who have no other skills or work ability, but they can only continue to do the job. Many scavengers said that they could buy a lunch for the day, and now they can only buy one bottle of water.
Taiwan 'Central News Agency' reported in June that in the first four months of 2018, the amount of waste plastics shipped to Taiwan by the United Kingdom rose 12 times year-on-year.
Regarding the issue of 'foreign garbage', the Taiwan authorities' environmental protection agencies stressed that they had announced 'repairing the law' on August 13 to limit and actually control the total amount of 'foreign garbage', but it will only be specific since October. The mainland's resounding 'foreign garbage ban' and other Southeast Asian countries have followed suit. The Taiwan authorities have been criticized by the public opinion on the island for 'slowing half a shot' and '(the bill) is being implemented too slowly'.