Cross-strait environmental and sustainable development forum Ⅰ
台灣在經濟開始起飛之後，慢慢制定了許多環保相關法令；而對岸的中國在經濟崛起之後，環境保護的議題更引起全球的關切與注目。富裕的社會是否不可避免地代表有更多垃圾被製造出來？主辦單位台灣環境資訊協會特別邀請兩岸學者專家，從環境污染的問題談起，探討環境保護政策、環保運動以及永續發展。本報特別整理其中部分精采內容以饗讀者。
After Taiwan's economy began to grow, the government here gradually passed many environmental protection statutes. Now that China’s economy is rapidly rising, environmental protection issues there have become the focus of world attention. Does increased garbage output necessarily go hand in hand with affluent societies? The Taiwan Environmental Information Association has invited scholars and experts from both Taiwan and China to discuss issues related to environmental pollution such as environmental protection policy, the environmental protection movement and sustained development. The Taiwan News has recorded the proceedings of this forum for the elucidation of our readership.
台灣廢棄物處理觀念與政策的發展
Taiwan waste management concepts and policy developments
陳曼麗(台灣婦女團體全國聯合會理事長)：我今天的重點放在台灣廢棄物政策的始末。台灣早期物資非常缺乏，二次世界大戰後，當時台灣的人口還不多，只有600多萬人，但是經過短短50幾年，現在台灣已經有2300萬人口，已經是原來的三倍多。而且早期因為資源比較缺乏，台灣人比較節儉，大部分的人都會徹底貫徹「物盡其用」這個觀念，人民的消費慾望也非常低，所以垃圾的產量非常少。我記得小時候還有一個職業叫做拾荒，拾荒業者每次到各家各戶去收購資源回收物品的時候，大部分都會唱一首歌叫「酒矸倘賣無？」－－這樣的時代是台灣非常美好的時代，因為我們的消費和垃圾沒有造成任何問題。
Chen Man-li: Today I would like to focus on the story of waste management policy in Taiwan. In earlier days, there was a lack of material goods in Taiwan. The population here was small after World War II -- only six million people. After only a short 50-year period, however, there are now 23 million people living in Taiwan, three times more than before. In those earlier days, resources were at a minimum, so Taiwanese were more frugal. Most people at that time lived their lives according to the notion of “making the most of everything.” There was not much consumerism at the time either, which meant the volume of garbage was low. I remember when I was young there were people who would go door to door buying recyclables; most of them would sing a song while doing so. This was a golden period for Taiwan, as our consumerism and garbage had yet to create any problems.
1960年代末至1970年代初期，台灣開始經濟起飛，人口增加，消費增加，製造的垃圾也多了。台灣的垃圾增加還有一個很重要的原因－－我們用的免洗用具太多了。經濟開始起飛了以後，我們就開始擔心我們到外面吃東西，用別人用過的筷子會不會造成健康上的隱憂，因為很多路邊攤沒有足夠的水來清洗碗筷。曾經有人說，人開始有錢之後就會開始怕死，在台灣也不例外。
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Taiwan’s economy began to take off, population increased and consumerism increased, causing much more garbage to deal with. There was another major reason for the increase of garbage in Taiwan; we were using way too many disposal utensils. When the economy got better, we all became worried about the hygienic problems of using chopsticks that others may have used when eating out. This was because many roadside vendors didn’t have enough clean water to wash the dishes. Once somebody said that when people get a little money, they start worrying about dying; we here in Taiwan were no exception.
台灣也是經濟開始起飛之後，很多環保相關法令慢慢制訂出來。1974年，我們台灣開始有《廢棄物清理法》。1987年，環保署成立，這一年有一個對台灣很重要的事，就是解除戒嚴。台灣是在1987年的7月1日解嚴，環保署則是在8月22日成立。1989年時主要的政策重點都放在掩埋場的處理。一直到2001年，台灣才有《環境基準法》才成立。
Many environmental protection laws slowly began to be drawn up after the economy took off as well. In 1974, Taiwan had its first Waste Cleanup and Treatment Law. In 1987, when the Environmental Protection Administration was established another important thing happened in Taiwan; martial law was lifted. Martial law was lifted on July 1, 1987 and the EPA was established on August 22 the same year. The main policy to come out of the EPA in 1989 focused on how to handle buried garbage dumps. It wasn’t until 2001 that the Basic Environmental Law was passed in Taiwan.
民間團體的腳步 經常走在政策之前
Civic groups act before policy
民間團體經常走在政府政策的前面。1987年環保署剛成立，當時很多民間團體已經看到我們的垃圾問題，並且開始推動「垃圾變黃金」的活動，也就是把資源回收以後拿去變賣。在這個活動過程裡，我們看到很多垃圾場已經快要滿了，政府就不斷的開闢新的垃圾場，但是每個地方要開闢新垃圾場的時候，當地的居民就開始反對。政府發現，垃圾場既然那麼難取得的話，用焚化的方式來處理垃圾應該會比較容易，所以在1989年的時候，政府就開始推動興建焚化爐的政策。開始要興建焚化爐的時候，民間又反對，因為民間的垃圾沒有做好環境的分類，有些垃圾燃燒以後產生的廢氣對人體的健康會造成不好的影響。
Civic groups often act before government policy takes hold. In 1987 when the EPA was just set up, many civic groups at the time already saw our growing garbage problem and began to promote a “garbage to gold” campaign. The gist of the campaign was to sell recycled resources. In the process of this campaign, many garbage dumps were already reaching capacity and the government was constantly opening new ones. But wherever the new dumps were opened, local residents were bound to complain. The government realized that since it was getting harder to find new dumps, it might be easier to incinerate the garbage. Thus in 1989, the government began a new policy of building incinerators. But when the incinerators were being built, the public complained once again. As people were not doing a good job at separating their trash, gases from the incinerators were causing health problems.
我們覺得比較好的方法應該是讓資源徹底的回收。如果能夠徹底回收可用資源，大概可以減少40%的垃圾。我們要求政府來做這部分的工作，但是政府的清潔隊員配合度不太夠，反而是民間團體的配合度很夠，宗教團體像慈濟、法鼓山或佛光山都開始積極推動資源回收。1996年，政府規定全台灣的清潔隊都要做資源回收工作，這個工作就從一般民間團體移轉到政府來，政府每年也有做清潔隊員資源回收的考核，因為有這樣的考核制度，他們的執行也比較徹底一點。
We feel the best solution would be to undertake thorough recycling of resources. If a thorough recycling effort were in place, there would be an approximate 40 percent reduction in trash. We demand that the government do this for us, but the level of cooperation from sanitation workers is insufficient. There is ample cooperation from civic groups on this front, as religious groups such as the Tzu Chi Foundation, Dharma Drum and Fo Guang Shan have all began to actively promote resource recycling. In 1996, the government stipulated that all sanitation units had to conduct recycling duties. Thus, this work has shifted from civic groups back to the government; the government conducts annual assessments of sanitation worker recycling efforts, as this system has allowed them to carry out the policy a bit more thoroughly.
台灣的廚餘大概佔垃圾的1/3，如果40%的資源能全部回收，再來35%的廚餘也能夠回收的話，台灣的垃圾就只剩下25%。所以我們就開始推動廚餘回收。廚餘回收本來就是過去我們台灣農業社會經常在做的事，這些回收廚餘都是拿去養豬，但是到後來經濟變好了，很多養豬戶也轉行了，廚餘就變成一個很大問題。尤其是在都會地區，廚餘問題更嚴重。
Kitchen waste accounts for nearly a third of Taiwan’s trash output. If we can completely recycle 40 percent of our trash as well as 35 percent of kitchen waste, then we our left with only 25 percent of our original trash output. This was the rationale behind pushing for the recycling of kitchen waste. In the past, it was Taiwan’s agricultural unions that took responsibility for kitchen waste recycling. The recycled kitchen waste was used mostly by pig farmers; but when the economy took a turn for the better, many pig farmers switched professions, making kitchen waste a big problem. The problem of kitchen waste is especially serious in big cities today.
1998年，我們主婦聯盟開始推動廚餘回收工作。兩千年台北市就找了兩個里來做示範回收的工作。原來我們民間團體在做的時候規模都很小，大概是600戶、800戶的規模，但是政府在做的時候，可以5000戶一起來加入。到了2004年，整個台北市就全面施行廚餘回收工作，推動的成效很好，垃圾一下子就減量很多。2006年1月1號，全台灣都要執行垃圾分成三大類：廚餘類、資源類與一般類。如果不配合的話，政府可以開罰單。
In 1998, our Homemaker’s Union and Foundation began pushing for more recycling of kitchen waste. In 2000, two communities in Taipei City were chosen to become models for kitchen waste recycling. When our group first started, the scope was very small, with only about 600 to 800 households taking part; but when the government began promoting kitchen waste recycling, 5,000 more households joined in. By the year 2004, kitchen waste recycling began to take effect throughout all of Taipei City with excellent results, as trash output was reduced dramatically. On January 1, 2006, Taiwan began to enforce a three-tier trash separation program: kitchen waste, recyclables and general garbage. Failure to comply with this program could result in fines.
所以台灣廢棄物處理的方式從掩埋、焚化到分類減量。我們認為，所有的垃圾應該從源頭去做減量的工作。很多垃圾其實是放錯位置的資源，如果資源回收做得好的話，應該是沒有垃圾的。建立資源循環型的社會與永續的觀念是全球熱烈討論的議題。永續觀念的建立需要很多教育活動，而不是政府一天到晚開罰單，大家才願意主動配合。
In summation, Taiwan's waste management system has gone from burying and incinerating to separating and recycling, which has resulted in a reduction of trash. We feel that the best way to tackle the trash problem is to cut down the sources. Much of our trash is just resources put in the wrong places; if recycling efforts were done well, then there should be no trash whatsoever. Hot global topics these days are how to set up resource recycling societies and instill the notion of sustainability in the public mind. The notion of sustainability requires a lot of educational initiative and not constant fines from the government for noncompliance with recycling policies; everybody has to be willing to take part to make it work.
※ 本文轉載自Taiwan News Online
