Preparing for the national ban on feeding pigswill scheduled for 2027, the Taoyuan City Government has actively responded to African Swine Fever (ASF) risks through technology-driven monitoring. With the “100% food waste recovery” policy, the establishment of Taiwan’s first integrated Biomass Energy Center, and effective AIoT smart monitoring, Taoyuan earned the Excellence Award in the Ministry of Environment’s 2025 Special Municipality and County/City Food Waste Recycling and Reuse Evaluation. At the joint awards ceremony on June 24, Lu Ming-Chi, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP), accepted the award on behalf of the city.
Yen Chi-Liang, Director-General of TYDEP, highlighted that Taoyuan’s food waste processing has four core strengths: high energy conversion, high fertilizer production, low incineration, and zero landfilling. In 2025, Taoyuan processed 48,862 metric tons of household food waste. This reduced carbon emissions by 28.47 million kilograms annually and generated 21.03 million kWh of green electricity, equivalent to the annual power consumption of over 5,000 households. Meanwhile, food waste was converted into recycled fertilizer.
Lin Li-Chang, Director-General of the Office of Coast and Resource Circulation Construction, stated that Taoyuan pioneered 100% food waste recovery. Food waste collected from households, residential communities, and schools is sent directly to the Biomass Energy Center for closed anaerobic digestion and high-efficiency biogas power generation. With ample capacity and a smooth disposal process, city’s food waste reuse rate reached 95%. To align with the central government’s 2027 swine feeding ban, Taoyuan plans to subsidize commercial food waste disposers for large catering and food service businesses to reduce waste at the source.
Lin added that the Taoyuan Biomass Energy Center is Taiwan’s first multi-functional resource recycling facility, capable of processing both raw and cooked food waste. During the ASF outbreak, the center processed an average of 70 metric tons of local food waste daily. Supported by other processing facilities, Taoyuan raised its overall food waste reuse rate to 77%, the highest among Taiwan’s six major municipalities. Through ongoing operations, the facility has expanded its processing capacity to 100 metric tons per day.
The office noted that Taoyuan will continue optimizing its food waste recycling framework. Moving forward, the city will promote source reduction, assist waste clearance agencies in expanding transport capacity, and encourage private sector investment in anaerobic digestion equipment to stabilize disposal costs for the catering industry.
The office emphasized that the national Excellence Award reflects the collective effort of all Taoyuan citizens. The city encourages residents to reduce food waste at the source, which directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advances local resource circularity.