one of the first challenges i faced after moving to taipei was the seemingly complicated waste management system. however, once i came to understand it, i realized that it is not only deceptively simple, but also brilliantly sustainable.

garbage is separated into three main categories: recycling, food waste, and landfill. residents of taipei and new taipei city are required to purchase special bags for general trash. these bags can be found at most corner stores, and range in size from 3 to 120 liters. sales from these special bags go towards funding the garbage and recycling system, and although they are far from expensive (one $3 USD purchase can last me two months), their elevated price incentivizes people to recycle more and produce less trash.

in addition to these special bags, taiwan has unique garbage and recycling trucks that operate five days a week and drive through the streets blasting a tinny, ice-cream-truck-esque version of beethoven's "für elise". when residents hear the tune, they flock to the trucks and sort their recycling, dump their food waste, and dispose of their general trash properly with the help of government officials and volunteers who travel with the trucks. people who violate the rules may be fined or publicly shamed in the media. there are hardly any public trash cans, so this system makes everyone more aware of and responsible for their own consumption. it also makes taking out the trash a community ritual during which residents can see and chat with their neighbors.

in less than one week of living here, i can already feel the influence that this system has on my relationship with garbage. the most noticeable difference is in my food waste. i do not have a kitchen, microwave, or freezer, so i have intentionally changed my eating habits to avoid causing odors or attracting bugs with my food waste. for example, i now try my absolute best to eat everything on my plate, even if it is something i dislike. i am also more inclined to eat in person rather than order delivery or take out, which cuts down on disposable cutlery and saves me money on delivery fees. in this way, i only need to take out the trash about once a week.

even though taiwan's waste disposal system is applaudable, it admittedly can be a source of minor inconvenience. back when i lived in central taiwan, the garbage trucks passed my apartment at 4pm, before i or any of my roommates were home from work. between work and weekend plans, the five of us considered it lucky if we could take out the trash more than once a week. (this may not sound like much of a problem given that garbage trucks in the US only come once a week, but keep in mind that we were keeping all of our trash on the floor of our apartment, and not in bins outside. the smell could get quite disgusting.)

taiwan manages this inconvenience by providing drop-off locations where garbage trucks station for an hour or two, usually at night when people are home from work. the government of taipei is also experimenting with new smart trash disposal machines, which can be used at any time for about one US cent.

if you are interested in learning more about how a land once known as "Garbage Island" now boasts an impressive recycling rate of 55% and generates half as much waste per person as the US, check out this article.