Your old TV might actually be an “urban gold mine” — that’s according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), which estimated NT$1.9 billion (US$68.25 million) of reusable materials were recycled from waste electronics appliances in 2021.
The EPA is encouraging people to properly dispose of household electronics waste and help achieve “zero waste”, saying in a statement that through a proper recycling process, such items not only have a huge market value but can also help reduce carbon emissions and resource depletion.
EPA statistics showed that from January to November last year, more than 3.34 million units of waste household electronic appliances — including TV sets, iceboxes, washing machines, air conditioners, and electronic fans — were recycled.
Some 100,000 metric tons of reusable materials such as copper, iron, aluminum, glass, and plastic were recovered, generating a production value of over NT$1.9 billion.
The EPA is also reminding companies selling new appliances that they can take a customer’s old appliance and get it recycled.
For more information on recycling or for recycling tips, people can call the EPA’s hotline on 0800-085717 or visit the EPA’s webpage for information on recycling at https://recycle.epa.gov.tw/ to look up how to contact recycling services.
People can also contact the cleaning divisions of local governments to set the date and location for the collection of large-item waste household electronic appliances, or simply move the devices to a set location for recycling, the EPA said.
The agency also called on people to have their waste recycled through legal waste management channels to avoid improper disassembly polluting the environment.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel