Taichung urges delay in construction waste disposal rules

台中市呼籲延後實施建築廢棄物處理規定

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung officials on Tuesday urged the central government to pause newly implemented regulations governing construction waste disposal until supporting mechanisms are fully in place.

In response to a growing number of construction waste disposal scandals in recent years, the National Land Management Agency has tightened oversight, per Our Island. Since Jan. 1, trucks transporting construction waste have been required to install GPS tracking systems, while paper documentation has been replaced with electronic records to better trace disposal destinations. Construction waste includes excavated earth and building materials.

The construction industry has reacted negatively since the rules took effect, saying that while it broadly supports stronger oversight, the speed of implementation and lack of complementary measures have caused significant disruption. Industry representatives said shortages in transportation capacity have forced some construction sites to halt work, while others reported sharp price increases at recycling and disposal facilities.

Central Taiwan accounts for about 21.8% of Taiwan’s total construction waste output, with Taichung producing more waste than any of the other five special municipalities. Since the rules took effect, the city has faced a severe shortage of disposal capacity, per ETtoday.

In response to Taichung’s concerns, the National Land Management Agency previously said it would release five hectares of land in the Taichung Harbor area for disposal use, while urging the city to find additional local solutions, per UDN. The agency also called on Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) to coordinate waste disposal with neighboring municipalities, arguing that the city should take primary responsibility for managing its own waste, per Liberty Times.

Taichung Urban Development Bureau Director Li Cheng-wei (李正偉) responded by saying disposal capacity in central Taiwan is only about one-tenth of that available in northern and southern Taiwan. He said the Taichung Harbor site would take about 10 months to prepare and would meet only one month of the city’s waste output.

Li added that other capacity expansion plans have timelines too long to address immediate needs. The bureau recommended giving the industry sufficient time to transition to the new rules and ensuring that supporting measures — including adequate disposal capacity — are in place before full enforcement.

Addressing the broader issue, Taiwan Regional Engineering Contractors Association Chair Chen Huang-ming (陳煌銘) said the Interior Ministry had already identified capacity shortages, inadequate oversight and the lack of a comprehensive disposal plan as early as 1996, per Tai Sounds.

Chen said most capacity expansion projects remain in the planning stage, with many sites still awaiting environmental impact assessments and lacking clear operational regulations. He warned that construction waste in central Taiwan could have nowhere to go for up to a year, even under the most optimistic timelines for new recycling facilities.

Chen also said unclear classification standards lie at the heart of the current disorder, noting that excavated sand and earth from construction sites do not clearly fall under the Waste Disposal Act and lack a legally defined category of their own. He added that differences in classification between municipalities create uncertainty even for companies attempting to comply with regulations.

Treasure Dragon Corp. Chair Chang Li-li (張麗莉) echoed those concerns, saying clearer national standards for recyclable construction waste, based on regional geological conditions, would allow more material to be reused, per Liberty Times. She also pointed to soaring recycling costs, noting that fees of NT$2,000 (US$63) to NT$3,000 per cubic meter of excavated earth now exceed the price of gravel.