Taichung City, Taiwan — December 29, 2025
Taichung City is grappling with the growing challenge of managing nearly 300 metric tons of kitchen waste generated each day, as changes in policy and rising collection costs place increasing pressure on residential communities and the food service industry.
The Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) said it has been steadily guiding 290 residential communities to allow licensed garbage collection companies to take over kitchen waste transportation. To help cushion the impact of rising fees, the city government announced that household and condominium kitchen waste delivered to treatment facilities will be exempt from processing charges until the end of February next year.
However, Class B waste disposal operators in urban areas cautioned that the relief may be temporary. Industry sources noted that operators could eventually pass additional costs on to apartment complexes and restaurants, stressing that the city’s current subsidy for waste entering treatment facilities cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Taichung’s long-standing practice of using kitchen waste as pig feed is set to be fully phased out by 2027. During the transition period, which runs until December 31, 2026, the use of household kitchen waste for pig farming is prohibited. As the policy shift takes effect, reports have emerged of sharp increases in kitchen waste collection fees across the city.
According to EPB statistics, 682 condominium communities citywide have encountered problems with kitchen waste collection. After sanitation teams provided explanations and guidance, 290 communities switched to having their existing garbage collection contractors handle kitchen waste. Even so, residents continue to hear reports of fees rising by two to ten times, or of some operators refusing to collect kitchen waste altogether.
Waste disposal companies revealed that starting January 1 next year, kitchen waste collection fees will be calculated by weight, at a rate of NT$8 per kilogram. Food business operators have been advised to drain excess liquid from food waste to reduce disposal costs.
Lin Bi-chi, vice chairman of the Taichung City Waste Disposal and Treatment Business Association, pointed out that in New Taipei City, sending kitchen waste to incineration facilities costs an additional NT$4,500 per ton, equivalent to NT$4.5 per kilogram. He explained that the added labor, fuel consumption, and waiting time required for dehydration and incineration could result in monthly cost increases of NT$6,500 to NT$8,000, expenses that may ultimately be borne by residential communities.
Lin emphasized that while the Taichung City government is currently subsidizing operators—using household-based compensation calculated by weight—relying on public funds is not a long-term solution. He stressed that meaningful cost reduction will depend on cutting kitchen waste at the source and expanding resource reuse and recycling efforts.
Meanwhile, Chan Wan-chi, chairwoman of the Taichung Packed Food Association, said that after January, most school-related kitchen waste will continue to be collected with the assistance of pig farmers or their contractors. In contrast, kitchen waste from households, small eateries, and apartment buildings will rely on sanitation teams or licensed waste collectors, with fees commonly charged by the ton or by the kilogram.
City officials are urging residents, communities, and businesses to adopt better food waste reduction practices as Taichung moves toward a more sustainable kitchen waste management system.