A resident of Tainan City in southern Taiwan has lately become a master in reporting heavily polluting vehicles. Each day the man, surnamed Wu, drives around town in search of cars or motorcycles spewing forth dark clouds of carbon dioxide.
Though he spends only an hour a day on this task, Wu makes NT$30,000 (US$1,035) a month for his efforts, more than many people earn from their full-time jobs.
Wu, a factory owner, said he does not need the extra income. “I do this because I enjoy helping out with environmental protection,” he said. “If anyone wants to learn the secrets of my trade, I’d be glad to share them.”
His investigative techniques are certainly effective. According to the Tainan City Environmental Protection Bureau, it received 2,072 reports of polluting vehicles in the first quarter of this year, out of which 861 were approved—and half the approved cases were submitted by Wu.
Ninety percent of all of Wu’s cases are considered valid, by far the highest success ratio of all pollution sleuths, the bureau said.
For each approved case, the bureau hands out an NT$300 reward, meaning that it has given out NT$250,000 in reward money this year, and that half of this was pocketed by Wu.
Asked to explain the secret of his success, Wu gave thanks to a pair of cameras on his scooter. After riding it around in the course of his everyday routines, Wu goes home to examine the footage on his high-definition monitor.
Once he spots an offender, he forwards the evidence—the black smoke and the license plate number—to authorities.
Because of the often bumpy movements of Wu’s motorcycle, it is easy for an onboard camera to break down. That is the reason, Wu said, he has two sets of recording devices.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times March 11.)