Title: Daily Trash and Recycling in Taiwan
The daughter of some friends of mine is in Taiwan doing a Fulbright teaching assistantship. Below is an excerpt from her blog about trash and recycling there. Very interesting. There are photos at the blog as well. If you want to check them out (it is an excellent blog, by the way), go to the August 8 entry:
http://kpabs.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html
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David Biddle, Executive Director
<http://www.blueolives.blogspot.com>
Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council
P.O. Box 4037
Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-247-3090 (desk)
215-432-8225 (cell)
<http://www.gpcrc.com>
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Wednesday, August 8, 2007
There was a typhoon last night...
Luckily, it was only rain and a little wind. Nothing serious. There's another one coming tomorrow morning too. Supposedly "all the locals tape their windows" to prevent glass shattering, but looking around our building, we're the only ones who've done it...
Yesterday we took out the trash for the first time. Which was good, since we had a TON of trash and it needed to be taken out. However, unlike in the states, the trash truck and recycling trucks come everyday. Seems simple, no? On Mondays and Fridays, they collect trash, food waste (to feed the livestock), glass, paper, and used clothing. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays they collect the usual trash and food, and then all the other recyclables. We got a 5 page list of things that can and can't be recycled. It's intense.
The trash truck comes at 6:30 and at 9. So at 6:15, while we were getting our trash ready, we hear this loud classical music playing from speakers around our apartment building. Apparently it's to warn us that the trash truck is coming. We, along with the rest of our building, take the trash downstairs and wait outside for the trash and recycling trucks to come. When they finally arrive, playing yet MORE classical music, the bags are handed over to the trash men, who have the hardest job of opening up the bags and dumping all the contents into different containers.
Everybody does it.
Clearly a social event.
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