The Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) encouraged people on 17 June 2008 to recycle glass containers, especially during the warm summer weather when beer consumption usually incre…
The Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) encouraged people on 17 June 2008 to recycle glass containers, especially during the warm summer weather when beer consumption usually increases. While the rate of recycling of glass in Taiwan has been rising, it still remains disproportionate to the volume of glass containers being used, official figures show. Some 230,000 tons of glass containers were used in 2007, while 190,000 tons were recycled, said Lin Chien-hui, executive director of the Recycling Fund Management Board under the EPA, at a press conference on 17 June 2008. This means that the recycling rate of glass containers in 2007 was only 84%, he noted. “Glass is a material that is almost 100% reusable for various purposes”, said Mr. Lin, pointing out that recycled glass can be used to make super-hard bricks, tiles and art materials, or mixed into bitumen to pave roads. According to Mr. Lin, about 2.5 km of roads in Taipei are paved with bitumen mixed with glass, including Fuxing South Road, which glitters under vehicle headlights. In addition to glass containers such as bottles, computer monitors and light bulbs are also recyclable, and can be left at convenience stores or taken to the garbage trucks, Mr. Lin said.