During a general interpellation session on May 12, the Taoyuan City Government addressed inquiries from Councilor Wang Pei-Yu regarding the pay-as-you-throw litter bag policy. Officials clarified that there are currently no plans to implement the policy citywide for general households, urging that discussions remain grounded in facts and data to prevent public misunderstanding. Mayor Chang San-Cheng emphasized that while he respects opposition to using per-bag fees for waste reduction, the city will limit the program to designated trial sites and ensure a phased rollout and robust public communication before any future expansion.
Deputy Mayor Su Chun-Pin stated that the trial aims to incentivize waste sorting and source reduction. Over its four-month run, average daily waste dropped from 130 metric tons to 96.6 metric tons—a daily decrease of 33.4 metric tons (25.8%). More importantly, the trial area achieved a cumulative reduction of 4,058 metric tons, which closely mirrors the citywide reduction of 4,128 metric tons over the same period, proving true source reduction rather than the mere relocation of trash to adjacent areas.
Currently, Taoyuan calculates waste fees based on water consumption, costing a four-person household roughly NT$1,400 annually regardless of actual trash volume, which is unfair to those who actively recycle. In contrast, Taipei and New Taipei households pay an average of just NT$600 annually under the user-pays principle.
Addressing the misconception that per-bag pricing forces citizens to pay an extra fee, Deputy Mayor Su explained that the cost of the designated bags functions as the actual waste treatment fee based on real disposal volume. Once implemented, the current trash fee attached to water bills will be abolished to prevent double billing.
TYDEP Director-General Yen Chi-Liang provided a cost breakdown based on disposing of one 5-liter trash bag per day, noting that the current water-volume system costs citizens an average of NT$3.1 per bag of trash, whereas the pay-as-you-throw per-bag system lowers that cost to approximately NT$1.8 per bag. This trajectory indicates that households committed to waste sorting will see their financial burden decrease. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-Ming also recently expressed support for the per-bag system, noting it aligns with the user-pays principle, generally costs less than water-volume billing, and effectively drives recycling efforts.
The city government reiterated that the policy remains confined to trial sites. Any future extensions will be introduced gradually with community outreach and supporting measures to lower public anxiety, demonstrate that the policy establishes a fairer system rather than increasing financial burdens.