Premier Lai Ching-te today applauded the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for actively promoting a circular economy through regulatory, technological and control mechanisms. President Tsai Ing-wen has included the circular economy in her "five plus two" innovative industries policy, and nations worldwide are also seeking ways of raising efficiency in resource use.
The EPA examined successful practices by the Netherlands to formulate a strategy for recovering resources from waste products, the premier said. The strategy spells out measures for managing production and consumer waste and sets specific targets for 2020. Premier Lai directed other agencies to support the strategy, and asked the EPA to be thorough in its implementation in order to create a more efficient circular economy for Taiwan.
At present, the EPA, Public Construction Commission and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) are engaged in a number of cooperative projects with local governments, including waste sorting and disposal technologies, factories for converting food waste to bioenergy, and the use of recycled aggregate for construction purposes, the premier said.
The EPA has drafted a plan to promote recycling and reuse, saying all waste should be regarded as resources. Perpetual recycling of materials will be promoted at all stages, from production and consumption to disposal and regeneration. The EPA has joined forces with the MOEA, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Council of Agriculture to promote waste recycling and build society around the circular economy.