Taipei City Government held a press conference introducing the public to the newly acquired, fuel-efficient garbage truck during a press conference on January 24.
During his address, the mayor noted that in the past, garbage trucks have encountered difficulties to meet requirements required for environmental-friendly vehicles. After discussions with the Commissioner Liu of Environmental Protection, the city government has allocated NT$570 million to replace 215 dated garbage trucks with fuel-efficient vehicles over 3 years.
Furthermore, city hall has also invested NT$88 million to purchase smaller-size street sweepers. These decisions not only increase fuel efficiency, but also help to reduce the emission of PM2.5 due to the higher standard compliance of newer vehicles.
Ko pointed out that the replacement of vehicles also improves fleet management, since as many as 100 old garbage trucks may need maintenance at a given time. Despite the sizable budget, the acquisition of the new vehicles will help alleviate the burdens of the staff at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
According to survey results published by the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission over the years, DEP has always ranked at the top of the list in many areas. The agency has maintained over 75-percent approval rate over the years – and at times exceeding even 80-percent. He took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the hard-working members of DEP for keeping the city clean.