Mexico City launches trash-for-food program
By Samantha Kimmey
Sunday, December 30, 2012
<http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/30/mexico-city-launches-trash-for-food-program/>
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<http://truth-out.org/news/item/13616-community-action-propels-the-tiawanese-government-toward-zero-waste>
Community Action Propels the Taiwanese Government Toward Zero Waste
Sunday, 30 December 2012 07:13
By Cecilia Allen and Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives,
Other Worlds | News Analysis
In the 1980s, the island of Taiwan was facing a massive waste crisis
due to a lack of space to expand its landfill capacity. When the
government proposed large-scale incineration, fierce opposition from
the community not only stopped the construction of dozens of burners,
but also drove the government to adopt goals and programs for waste
prevention and recycling that were so effective that the volume of
waste decreased significantly, even while both population and gross
domestic product increased.
A combination of high population density, rapid industrial growth,
landfills reaching full capacity, and lack of space for new dumping
grounds led the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) to
adopt incineration in the 1980s as the priority for waste treatment.
This shift was reaffirmed in 1990 with a plan to build 21 large-scale
waste-to-energy incinerators, and again in 1996 when investors were
solicited to build another 15 municipal solid waste incinerators to
meet the national goal of at least one incinerator per county.
Communities organized widely against these plans, leading to the
creation of the Taiwan Anti-Incinerators Alliance (TAIA). As a
result, by 2002, only 19 of the 36 planned incinerators had been
built. The total capacity of those 19 incinerators was 21,000 tons
per day, while nationwide municipal solid waste production was less
than 20,000 tons per day. Still, TEPA was holding to its plan to
expand incineration capacity immensely. A total of 122 community
organizations signed a letter to the government warning of
overcapacity of existing incinerators, as well as the environmental
and health problems linked to incinerator emissions, and urged the
government to put resources instead into safer and sustainable
alternatives like waste prevention, recycling, and composting.
As a result of community pressure, TEPA adopted a zero waste policy
in 2003. Initially, the definition of zero waste included
incineration, but after criticism from community organizations, the
wording adopted in December 2003 defined zero waste as "effectively
recycling and utilizing resources through green production, green
consumption, source reduction, recovery, reuse, and recycling." In
addition, the policy established waste diversion targets of 25
percent by 2007, 40 percent by 2011, and 75 percent by 2020.
Minimizing Packaging and Disposables
Taiwan's approach to waste prevention puts a strong emphasis on
Extended Producer Responsibility-making producers responsible for
changes in design and production to reduce the waste generated by
their products and packaging. Producers also manage their own items
after they are discarded, taking back materials for reuse or
disposal. This approach combines mandatory reduction goals, voluntary
agreements, and incentives for businesses and industries.
Restricting the weight of boxes. In 2006, the government adopted
restrictions relating to packaging for computer software CDs and gift
boxes for pastry, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages and food. In 2009,
TEPA signed a packaging reduction agreement with five major portable
computer manufacturers that eliminated about 3,700 tons of computer
packaging waste in just one year.
Banning disposable tableware at schools and government agencies. In
2006, TEPA requested government agencies and schools to stop using
disposable tableware, and in 2007 the requirement was extended to
paper cups.
Reducing plastic bags and plastic packaging. In 2007, TEPA required
supermarkets to prepare plans to reduce plastic packaging. The
businesses had to meet waste reduction targets of 15 percent and 25
percent in the first and second years, and 35 percent in 2011. Stores
began to use thinner packaging and to sell goods unpackaged (30
percent of the products were sold unpackaged by the second year of
implementation). According to TEPA, the amount of plastic from
non-renewable resources used for packaging was reduced by 1,400 tons
between July 2007 and December 2009.
Encouraging a reduction in disposable chopsticks. In 2008, the
government asked stores and cafeterias to provide reusable chopsticks
and not automatically give out disposable chopsticks with takeout
food, a policy estimated to reduce 350 tons of waste per year.
Reducing disposable cups. In 2011, fast food, beverage, and
convenience store chains were required by TEPA to provide discounts
or extra portions to customers who brought their own cups, or give
customers US $0.03 for every two cups they return as an incentive to
get shops to recycle their own cups.
Maximizing Recycling
Taiwanese legislation requires manufacturers and importers of
mandatory recycling items like packaging and containers, tires, some
electric and electronic goods, automobiles, batteries, and
fluorescent lamps to report them, label them, and pay a fee based on
the material, volume, weight, and level of recycling. Most businesses
selling beverages are required to install receptacles for empty
containers; violators are subject to fines between US $2,000 and
$10,000. Retailers selling electronics and electric products are
legally required to take back and recycle these products and are
prohibited from charging consumers for this service.
In 2005, Taiwan began to require the separation of all waste into
recyclables, food waste, and residual waste. The program was
initially implemented in seven cities and ten counties. The second
phase, extending source separation to the whole nation, started in
2006. The waste-collection crews are required to sort the resources
after they are collected. Every municipality has sites where
materials are sorted and sold for recycling; sometimes they are sold
mixed to recyclers who separate it themselves.
Recovery of source-separated food waste is covered by the Food Waste
Recovery and Reuse Plan. By 2009, 319 townships had food waste
recycling systems. The total volume of food waste collected per day
rose from 80 tons in 2001 to 1,977 tons in 2009. Approximately 75
percent of the recovered food waste is sold to pig farms for about US
$13.70 per ton. Most of the rest of the food waste is composted. To
encourage food scrap recovery, the national government provides
subsidies to local governments for education, promotion, and
composting facilities.
More wealth almost always creates more waste, but Taiwan's example
shows that aggressive waste prevention programs can break this
correlation. Waste generation in Taiwan dropped from 8.7 to 7.95
million tons between 2000 and 2010, despite a 47 percent increase in
GDP in the same period. At the same time, the population also grew,
so in 2010 per capita waste generation was 12.7 percent lower than in
2000.
The amount of waste incinerated in the country has remained fairly
constant since 2002. Currently 24 incinerators burn 60 percent of the
nation's municipal solid waste and 40 percent of its industrial
waste. An analysis of the waste being burned in municipal waste
incinerators in Taichung, Taipei, and Tainan showed that 48.6 percent
of it is organic (i.e., kitchen waste and organic yard waste), while
nonorganic recyclable resources account for 9.3 percent. Thus, 57.9
percent of what is being burned is recyclable or compostable. What's
more, the construction and operation of incinerators drain funds for
years that could otherwise be used to boost resource recovery.
While the government publicizes its waste prevention and recycling
policies, many more improvements could be made. The people of Taiwan
have expressed deep opposition to the practice of burning waste and a
willingness to engage in waste prevention and recycling practices.
Successes of recent years, however, are proof that citizen pressure
can continue to produce effective and innovative changes.
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