Taiwan Township Mayor Investigated Amid Staggering Recyclable Waste Crisis

The mayor of Liuqiu Township, Taiwan, has reappeared after being unreachable amid a growing crisis of overflowing recyclable waste. Mayor Chen Kuo-tsai surfaced at the Legislative Yuan seeking assistance from legislator Su Ching-chuan, reportedly to discuss the island's waste management problems.

Liuqiu faces a significant backlog of 1,500 tons of recyclable waste. This situation stems from 15 consecutive failed attempts to secure a contractor for waste removal services. The Pingtung County Government has criticized the township office's "inability" to handle the crisis, especially with the mayor reportedly missing.

Mayor Chen claims that insufficient funding and high transportation and labor costs have deterred local businesses from bidding on the removal contracts. He stated that he sought help from Environmental Protection Administration Minister Tsung-Ming Chang to negotiate with resource recycling agencies.

“

came north to petition and seek assistance.

The Pingtung County Government has set a deadline of July 7 for the next bidding process. If the tender fails again, the county's Environmental Protection Bureau will forcibly intervene to manage the waste removal. Authorities, including investigators and anti-corruption units, are looking into whether Mayor Chen has engaged in dereliction of duty, especially considering a previous waste management issue during his tenure that led to legal action against individuals involved in "environmental pest" activities.

The investigation will examine potential hidden factors beyond increased operational costs that might be contributing to the repeated failures in securing waste removal services.

“

due to low funding, high transportation and labor costs, businesses in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung area are unwilling to bid.