Taichung council shelves controversial waste fee hike

Taichung City's plan to significantly increase waste disposal fees, particularly for liquid waste, has hit a roadblock in the city council. The proposed revisions, which would see sewage treatment fees jump from NT$216 to NT$890 per metric ton and collection fees rise from NT$200 to NT$940, were met with strong opposition from council members.

Councilors argued that the justifications for the nearly fivefold increase were weak. They specifically criticized the inclusion of costs for land and facilities of sewage treatment plants that have been operational for decades. "Reflecting costs should not include amortizing construction and land costs for sewage treatment plants that were completed decades ago. This is simply arbitrary pricing, and the council cannot endorse it," stated Councilor Jiang Zhao-guo.

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Reflecting costs should not include amortizing construction and land costs for sewage treatment plants that were completed decades ago. This is simply arbitrary pricing, and the council cannot endorse it.

Environmental Protection Bureau Deputy Director Chen Zheng-liang defended the adjustments, stating that the previous fee standards, implemented in 2012, had not been updated in over a decade. He mentioned that the revised rates were based on internal cost estimations, including land and construction expenses for the sewage plants, and were benchmarked against fees in industrial zones.

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The previous fee standards were implemented in 2012 and have not been adjusted for over 10 years.

However, councilors remained unconvinced. Councilor Li Zhong pointed out that many residential buildings had reported a quadrupling of their sewage treatment costs, which they found unacceptable. He questioned why the increase couldn't be phased in over several years instead of a single large jump. Councilor Huang Shou-da also raised concerns about the cost calculations, noting that a 2021 audit indicated a treatment cost of NT$493 per metric ton for sewage, making the proposed NT$890 rate difficult to justify.

Due to the lack of consensus and the perceived flaws in the proposal, the legislative affairs committee decided to shelve the amendment. The city government is expected to resubmit the revised fee standards on September 15th, after providing the committee with comparative fee data from Taiwan's six major municipalities and additional cost information.

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In 2021, the audit office calculated the cost of treating sewage at 493 yuan per ton. How was the current price of 890 yuan calculated? It should be clearly explained.