Interception of illegally transported construction waste

Joint excavation of illegal disposal sites by environmental protection staff and law enforcement

　Nantou County’s townships each have vast areas of jurisdiction. Areas such as farmland, mountainous valleys, empty areas along rivers, and industrial roads, which are more remote but also easily accessible by transportation, with fewer people and vehicles, usually become hot spots for illegal dumping of waste. The public very much needs to care for the environment around their homes and farmland that isn’t being used, and check to see if waste has been dumped in these farmlands, open areas, hillside lands, and rivers. The Environmental Protection Bureau is calling on the public to help protect their local environment and work together to prevent illegal business waste from being disposed of in Nantou County.

　Since September 2021, the Environmental Protection Bureau has collaborated with the Puli Precinct of the Nantou County Police Bureau to implement dump truck inspections, and jointly carried out 6 inspections of construction waste. On-site investigations found commercial trailers carrying interior furnishings waste and mixed construction waste without documents certifying the type, source, quantity, or processing destination of the waste, which are all necessary for inspections. These violators were penalized on the spot for violating Article 9 Item 1 and Article 49 of the Waste Disposal Act, for a fine of between NTD $60,000 and NTD $100,000. In addition, even though the transportation company violating the law possessed a waste removal permit, the company’s trailer vehicles did not have permits for waste removal and illegally engaged in the removal of construction waste. These acts violated Article 41 Item 1 and Article 46 Paragraph 4 of the Waste Disposal Act, and also involving administrative penalties, and all cases were transferred to the police authorities to assist with investigations.

　In-depth investigations of the transportation company at fault found that the company used a Reuse and Processing Contract as cover to transport construction waste from demolition projects in Northern Taiwan to Provincial Highway 14 and 16 in Nantou County in the dead of night, and deliberately disposed of it at illegal dumping areas and remote industrial roads, severely affecting the environment in Nantou County!

　County Mayor Lin Ming-Chen has asked for the police and the Environmental Protection Bureau to intensify the crackdown on illegal transportation of waste from other counties and cities to Nantou County, and that those found guilty must be prosecuted without lenience. The Environmental Protection Bureau would like to once again remind land users, managers and owners to fulfill their management responsibilities in accordance with the law. Unused land should be enclosed using fences, walls, other types of barriers, and/or monitoring equipment, and checked regularly to prevent people from deliberately dumping waste. People that discover illegal disposal of waste can call the Environmental Protection Bureau hotline at 049-2234685 or 0800-066666 to report the violation, and the Environmental Protection Bureau will promptly send personnel to investigate and handle the violation.