A four-month trial of Taiwan’s first iTrash station, a 24-hour smart machine that charges for household garbage and pays for recycling, has been a success, Taipei City Government said Dec. 10.
Located in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District, the machine has attracted more than 800 users, collected almost 2,000 kilograms of garbage, and helped recycle around 20,000 bottles and 8,000 cans since it was installed in August, TCG said.
Designed by Hao-Yang Environment Technology Ltd. based in the northern city of Taoyuan, iTrash encourages recycling by offering credit on the user’s EasyCard, a smartcard that facilitates payment on the Taipei Metro and other public transportation services as well as at many businesses. Recycling 10 plastic bottles or eight aluminum cans earns a reward of NT$1 (US$0.03), while NT$8 is charged for each kilogram of trash.
According to Liou Ming-lone, commissioner of TCG’s Department of Environmental Protection, more iTrash stations will be set up across the city over the coming year. The government will continue to monitor data on their use and public feedback to improve the service, he added.
The smart machine keeps costs down by using Internet of Things and cloud computing technologies to automatically notify operators when to collect trash or fix malfunctions, TCG said. Local authorities are planning to launch a mobile app to help users locate iTrash stations and track their recycling record.
The trial was organized under the local government’s Taipei Smart City Industrial Field Pilot Program. Implemented by TCG’s Department of Information Technology, the initiative helps companies connect with public sector resources and test cutting-edge intelligent city services and technologies.
DOIT Commissioner Lee Wei-bin said the participation of governments, companies and the public are necessary to build sustainable and smart cities. The department is looking forward to working with more public and private sector partners to promote iTrash across the country, he added.
Taiwan has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. According to the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, the nation recycled about 53 percent of its household waste in 2017. (CPY-E)
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