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Promote the circular economy - create a win-win situation for the economy and environmental protection
I. Introduction
In the past few decades, the development of global business has been under the linear economic context of "mining, manufacturing, using and discarding", manufacturers have been constantly innovating products in order to stimulate consumption, and consumers are also accustomed to replacing the old with the new. However, the earth's resources will not be endless forever, and waste will not disappear in a vacuum, so it is clear that the traditional linear economy has come to an end, and it has been replaced by a circular economy that emphasizes "sustainable recovery and recycling of resources". Now, this new trend is booming in countries around the world.
2. Waste recycling, towards a circular economy and society
Taiwan has gone through an era of rapid economic growth, but at the cost of over-exploitation of natural resources and extensive environmental damage. In order to create a win-win situation for the economy and environmental protection, and to be in line with the world, President Tsai Ing-wen has declared that "Taiwan will move towards a circular economy era and convert waste into renewable resources", and the government has listed it as one of the "5+2" industrial innovation policies. In addition to improving laws and regulations, upgrading technology and good management, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has also formulated the "Resource Recycling and Recycling Promotion Plan" (107-109), hoping to make proper use of waste resources at all stages of material production, consumption, disposal and recycling, so as to replace the extraction of natural resources and achieve the vision of full material recycling and zero waste. Key strategies include:
(1) Production – Increasing the efficiency of resource use
■ Improve the baseline data of materials and grasp the use of materials in the country: take stock of the use of key materials and energy resources to improve the use efficiency and recycling rate.
■ Promote the design of more durable, easy-to-repair, recyclable and easy-to-recycle products: Promote cradle to cradle design to reduce the mining of raw materials and make material resources continuously recycled;
■ Promote the symbiosis of the industrial chain, improve the energy and resource efficiency of the production process, and reduce the generation of waste.
(ii) Consumption — reducing waste
■ Create a green consumption model, reduce the use of disposable products, strengthen education and advocacy: reduce the use of disposable products such as disposable beverage cups, restrict the use of packaged drinking water, shopping plastic bags and disposable tableware, promote product reuse demonstration programs, and implement the spirit of reducing waste at source.
■ Promote government green procurement, and use recycled pellets in public works: According to the "Government Procurement Law", the government is authorized to give priority to the procurement of products with environmental protection labels or the same efficiency when bidding, with the goal of reaching 9 billion yuan in green procurement by government agencies in 109 years. In addition, the bottom slag is the residue left after the incinerator burns the waste, and the recycled pellets after treatment can be used as a substitute for the project, and the goal is to use the amount of incineration recycled pellets in public works in 109 years in each county and city.
■ Extend product life and extend producer responsibility: Extend product life through matchmaking maintenance channels and extended product warranty. In addition, producers are encouraged to retain product ownership and extend the responsibility system of producers, that is, producers must take responsibility for recycling, reusing or disposing of products after use.
(3) Recycling – Reducing waste
■ Strengthen the recycling system, strengthen the front-end classification and recycling effectiveness, and upgrade recycling and reuse: strengthen the recycling of waste plastics, industrial packaging materials, critical metal materials, construction waste, etc.
■ Strengthen the development of renewable energy technologies and emerging industries, and promote energy recovery: For example, the construction of food waste biomass energy plants, the promotion of small-scale food waste composting, and the effective improvement of organic waste reuse pipelines such as raw food waste, agricultural and forestry materials, livestock manure and urine, etc., the biogas produced is used for power generation after purification, and biogas slurry and biogas residue are used for agricultural land to improve fertilizer utilization.
■ Complete laws and regulations, and review laws and regulations related to resource recycling.
(iv) Circulation—Increase circulation
■ Ensure the quality of secondary materials or reused products, establish a supervision mechanism, and complete reuse specifications.
■ Strengthen technology research and development and innovation, strengthen resource recycling technology for resource regeneration and recycling, such as subsidizing waste technology innovation and research and development, and improving bottom slag reuse technology.
■ Provide economic incentives to stimulate material recycling and the promotion of circular economy.
III. Conclusion
Waste is misplaced resources, and it can be turned into gold through an innovative development model that ensures that resources can be continuously recovered and recycled. Taiwan currently has the third highest recycling rate in the world at 58%, and is estimated to reach 61% by 111 years. The government will continue to promote the waste recycling policy to move towards a circular economy, so that industrial development and environmental protection can go hand in hand, and build Taiwan into a circular home with zero waste, zero pollution and sustainable regeneration.
Source: https://www.ey.gov.tw/Page/5A8A0CB5B41DA11E/12c0a2b8-485d-49d7-ba9e-a9a10b82828e