Latest news with #DepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection
Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- General
- Express Tribune
Getting rid of rubbish with 'Fur Elise' in Taiwan
Residents hear the music and emerge with their garbage together. Photo: File Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. As per AFP, for decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's Fur Elise or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's Maiden's Prayer has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. "When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient," 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. "I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice," Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. "It's also a kind of exercise," she added. But not everyone is a fan. "I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day," said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. "Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash." 'Save a lot of time' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with Fur Elise, Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the Maiden's Prayer became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 (USD380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. "Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them," Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. "I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them," co-founder Ben Chen said. "We enhance their life quality." Cleaning up Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. "In the beginning, everybody feels... that it's not very convenient," Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, "they feel this is a good policy". The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are "almost" always on time.
NZ Herald
13 hours ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Taiwan's rubbish trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
For the elderly, taking out the rubbish has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. 'I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice,' Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. 'It's also a kind of exercise,' she added. But not everyone is a fan. 'I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day,' said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun Wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. 'Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash.' 'Save a lot of time' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh Shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with Fur Elise, Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the Maiden's Prayer became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu Ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their rubbish, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. 'Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them,' Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their rubbish to be taken away. 'I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them,' co-founder Ben Chen said. 'We enhance their life quality.' Cleaning up Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing, and people protesting at air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration, and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own rubbish in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. 'In the beginning, everybody feels ... that it's not very convenient,' Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, 'they feel this is a good policy'. The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67%, from 2% in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are 'almost' always on time. -Agence France-Presse
Observer
a day ago
- General
- Observer
Taiwan's garbage trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
Taipei - Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. For decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's "Maiden's Prayer" has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. "When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient," 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event, and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. "I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice," Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. "It's also a kind of exercise," she added. But not everyone is a fan. "I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day," said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. "Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash." - 'Save a lot of time' - Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with "Fur Elise", Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the "Maiden's Prayer" became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley, and take it to the refuse trucks. "Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them," Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. "I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them," co-founder Ben Chen said. "We enhance their life quality." - Cleaning up - Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing, and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration, and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. "In the beginning, everybody feels... that it's not very convenient," Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, "they feel this is a good policy". The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are "almost" always on time.
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Taiwan's musical garbage trucks blend waste collection with social bonding
TAIPEI: Taiwanese residents gather on sidewalks, plastic bags in hand, as a yellow garbage truck approaches, its loudspeakers filling the air with Beethoven's 'Fur Elise.' This decades-old tradition signals it's time to take out the trash, blending efficiency with an unexpected social ritual. 'When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient,' said 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning, waiting outside her Taipei apartment. Residents toss general waste into the truck while food scraps and recyclables go into separate bins. For many elderly, the daily routine doubles as a chance to socialize. 'I can chat with old neighbours and friends. It's nice,' Lee added. Not everyone finds the system ideal. 'It's inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time,' said beautician Dai Yun-wei, 31. 'Sometimes we're not home or busy, so we can't throw away the trash.' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks date back to the 1960s, explained Shyu Shyh-shiun from Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection. Originally equipped with 'Fur Elise' by German manufacturers, the trucks later adopted Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's 'Maiden's Prayer.' Operating five days a week, the trucks have become a cultural staple. Some, like 76-year-old Yang Xiu-ying, have turned trash collection into a livelihood. She earns NT$11,200 ($380) monthly by sorting and disposing of waste for 28 households. 'Some people get off work late, some elderly find it inconvenient, so I help,' Yang said. Younger generations seek digital solutions. The app Tracle, co-founded by Ben Chen, allows users to schedule trash pickups. 'We save a lot of time for them,' Chen said. 'We enhance their life quality.' Taiwan's waste management has transformed over 30 years. Once plagued by overflowing landfills, the island now boasts a 67% recycling rate, up from 2% in 2000. Residents must use government-approved blue bags for general waste, encouraging recycling. 'In the beginning, everybody felt it was inconvenient,' Shyu admitted. 'But now, they see cleaner streets and agree it's a good policy.' And the trucks? Shyu smiled. 'They're almost always on time.' - AFP
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
Taiwan's Garbage Trucks Offer Classical Music And A Catch-up
Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. For decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's "Maiden's Prayer" has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. "When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient," 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. "I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice," Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. "It's also a kind of exercise," she added. But not everyone is a fan. "I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day," said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. "Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash." Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with "Fur Elise", Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the "Maiden's Prayer" became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. "Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them," Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. "I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them," co-founder Ben Chen said. "We enhance their life quality." Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. "In the beginning, everybody feels... that it's not very convenient," Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, "they feel this is a good policy". The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are "almost" always on time. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points AFP Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more AFP
