In response to recent media attention on the potential fire hazards associated with waste battery recycling and storage, the Taoyuan City Government stated that it has already taken early and proactive measures. Deputy Mayor Su Jun-Bin noted that as early as 2024, Taoyuan began treating lithium battery warehouse fires reported in other cities as warning examples. The City systematically analyzed various risk scenarios and convened cross-departmental task force meetings to develop response strategies. Taoyuan representatives also repeatedly urged the central government, during Executive Yuan meetings, to address source-level management issues related to hazardous chemicals, flammable materials, and warehousing operations, while simultaneously launching preventive measures at the local level. Deputy Mayor Su emphasized that among the first group of large-scale warehouses and logistics facilities brought under regulation, the implementation of disaster prevention plan reviews, strengthened self-management requirements for operators, and regular inspections has led to a clear decline in factory- and warehouse-related fires in Taoyuan. From January to November 2025, the number of such fire incidents fell by 24.2% compared with the same period last year, marking the lowest level for the same period in nearly a decade.
Taoyuan City Government took the lead nationwide by amending its Fire Prevention Self-Governance Ordinance and establishing a Fire Prevention Promotion Task Force. The task force regularly reviews fire prevention and risk-reduction strategies for high-risk sites involving hazardous chemicals and materials. In February 2025, Taoyuan announced the first group of high-risk facilities, including warehouses that store hazardous chemical substances. In December, a second group of high-risk sites was announced, bringing recycling and treatment facilities handling lithium batteries and other flammable materials under formal regulation. This initiative makes Taoyuan the first city in Taiwan to establish a comprehensive fire prevention management framework for high-risk facilities and to regulate waste battery storage sites formally.
With the rapid growth of electric vehicles, the Ministry of Environment has projected that the volume of waste batteries collected for recycling will continue to rise, reaching 12,000 metric tons of lithium batteries by 2031. Deputy Mayor Su pointed out that domestic treatment capacity remains limited, with most waste batteries still relying on overseas processing. As a result, waste batteries have emerged as a new category of high-risk factors during collection, storage, and transportation. In addition to actively calling for regulatory revisions at the national level, the Taoyuan City Government has taken the initiative to conduct cross-departmental risk assessments in advance. Through regular task force meetings, the City has integrated efforts by the Department of Environmental Protection, the Fire Department, and the Department of Economic Development to systematically inventory the number of waste battery recycling operators, storage methods, and potential risk points, forming the basis for subsequent regulatory oversight and inspections.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP), starting December 2, 2025, the City officially designated “sites for the stockpiling, recycling, reuse, and treatment of flammable materials” as part of the second group of high-risk facilities, bringing a total of 221 operators under regulatory oversight. A tiered and layered management approach has been adopted, requiring these sites to install surveillance systems or establish inspection mechanisms, as well as to equip fire hydrants and dedicated firefighting water storage facilities. This category includes lithium battery recycling and treatment operators. Once listed, such facilities are subject to at least two inspections or patrols annually and must comply with guidelines for the storage and handling of spent secondary lithium batteries, including strengthened zoning of storage areas, ignition source control, and on-site management to reduce the likelihood of accidents.
To further strengthen oversight across the entire life cycle of lithium batteries, the City Government conducted on-site visits and exchanges with two lithium battery manufacturing plants and one recycling facility between November and December 2025. These visits focused on understanding actual production, storage, and handling practices, providing an important reference for refining future mitigation measures and improving the regulatory framework.
The Taoyuan City Government emphasized that in the face of rapidly evolving and emerging disaster risks, it will continue to uphold the principle that prevention is better than cure. Building on the successful experience of regulating the first group of warehouse facilities, Taoyuan will extend the same approach to waste battery recycling operations and other high-risk industries. Through institutionalized management, ongoing inspections, and cross-agency joint prevention efforts, the City aims to minimize fire risks and demonstrate its commitment to building a safe and resilient city.