Hazardous waste management: Establishing a framework for Taiwan

This study is primarily motivated by the worldwide growing concerns about hazardous wastes management and the emerging need for Taiwan to control these wastes. Due to the associated acute hazards, no country has the luxury of waiting until hazardous waste problems become serious enough for remedial actions to be unavoidable. Thus, hazardous waste management nowadays has become an equally critical issue in both developed and developing countries. Although technology is an important consideration for hazardous waste management, technology itself cannot provide a complete solution. A broad view and comprehensive planning to examine the management of hazardous waste are, therefore, essential. Currently, Taiwan is entering a rapidly changing era. Conflicts and challenges are found in many spheres. Changes are expected in the country\u27s political, social, and economic aspects. All these influencing macro- and micro-factors require the government to broaden its scope and adopt an urgent attitude in developing policies. The methodology used in this study included: literature review, case studies, institutional analysis, and interview. By examining the experiences in some other countries, the dissertation integrated the institutional/technological considerations as well as management strategies to formulate a comprehensive framework for Taiwan. Hazardous waste management in Taiwan is still in an early stage. By examining current management and practices on hazardous wastes, a number of problems were identified: for example, the lack of comprehensive planning, problematic strategies, shortages of facilities, and weakness in enforcement. By following the experiences in advanced countries (e.g., USA, Germany, Denmark, and Japan) and development in the field, the dissertation developed a hazardous waste management framework for Taiwan. With attention to local situations and specific needs, the proposed framework on hazardous waste management in Taiwan includes the following key elements: (1) Comprehensive planning; (2) Improvement of the regulatory systems; (3) A selective centralization model, based on the characteristics of the issue of hazardous waste management, for strengthening the administrative system; (4) Policy recommendations on management strategies (e.g., waste reduction, permit, and manifest systems); (5) Selection of technologies and sites; (6) Site discovery and cleanup process; (7) Special waste management (i.e., small quantity generators, household hazardous wastes, and medical wastes); and (8) Long-term and fundamental mechanisms supporting better management