Taipei City Government

For the convenience of the public, recyclables in Taipei City are collected on certain days of the week and are divided into flat and bulky items.

Flat recyclable items include clean old clothes, waste paper, old books and clean plastic bags, which are collected on Mondays and Fridays.

Bulky recyclable items include cans and bottles, paper containers, small household appliances and 3C devices, which are collected on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

At the designated hours, these items can be handed over to recycling trucks. They will be sorted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), then sold to factories for further sorting and re-use. This system is not only easy to remember but also saves the public from having to deal with the latter phase of waste management.

The DEP states that up to 95% of the public are aware of the garbage collection system that goes by the day and is sorted by categories. In rare cases where unexpected recyclable items show up on the wrong day of the week, staff are requested to accept said items for the convenience of and serving the public. In cases where such items are refused, the DEP staff will be given further training.

The agency would also like to point out that the garbage collection in Taipei City is conducted at designated hours and locations. Regarding the suggestion that the garbage collectors carry out the task of sorting the recyclables on the garbage truck while it is moving, DEP pointed out that in line with Article 77, Subparagraph 6 in the “Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety” that stipulates “No passengers are allowed on the back of a flatbed truck,” and also in accordance with Article 157 in the “Occupational Safety and Health Regulations”, which states, “An employer is not allowed to have their employees riding a truck, a garbage truck or recyclables-collecting truck be seated in a position subject to the danger of falling off the vehicle while it is in motion.” Standing our ground to ensure the safety of our colleagues, the DEP will not change the current garbage collection model.