Due to the food waste ban on pig farming, Hualien City's food waste has increased year by year. Compared with the first half of last year, the growth rate was about 7.6%. The Hualien City Government took the lead in the county to launch a subsidy policy for household food waste machines. The subsidy method is that each household can apply for one, with a subsidy of NT$3,000 per machine, and a limit of 500 units. It is hoped that encouraging people to implement food waste reduction and resource reuse at home can also achieve the purpose of food waste reduction.
Mayor Wei Jiayan held a press conference today with Hualien Citizen Representative Chairman Yang Zhefeng and cleaning team leader Wu Qingzhan. They invited the district chiefs to attend and demonstrated the process of processing leftover rice, vegetable leaves and peels in a food waste machine. Wei Jiayan said that food waste is garbage generated by every household. Taiwan's climate is hot and humid. If leftovers are not properly disposed of, they can easily produce odor and attract mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and other disease vectors. The food waste machine can reduce the moisture content and volume of food waste, reduce water seepage and odor during storage, and make the kitchen environment cleaner.
Wu Qingzhan, the cleaning team leader of the public office, said that the cooked food waste originally used by pig farmers is sent to Fenglin Environmental Protection Technology Park for processing. The park has two high-efficiency processors that can process 20 tons of cooked food waste per day. The raw food waste is composted in the kitchen waste studio of the cleaning team. However, the volume of food waste recycling has continued to increase in recent years. Wu Qingzhan pointed out that the amount of raw food waste recycled in Hualien City in the first half of last year was 931 metric tons, and increased to 1,002 metric tons in the first half of this year, an increase of approximately 7.6%. The processing burden is increasing day by day, so this subsidy project was promoted under the instructions of the mayor.
Subsidy models are divided into two categories, one is the drying type that uses heat energy or air supply to dry moisture, and the other is the biodegradable type that uses microorganisms to decompose it. Both types can be applied for. Wu Qingzhan said that taking dry processing food waste machines as an example, the moisture and volume of food waste can be reduced through processes such as heating, drying and grinding. However, the processed product cannot be used as fertilizer immediately. It must go through composting and decomposition processes before it can be used on flowers, vegetables and garden plants.
The office pointed out that the subsidy period is from November 1 to December 31. If the funds are used up in advance, it will stop accepting applications. The subsidy is limited to households registered in Hualien City, and each household is limited to one unit. Schools, companies, and institutions are not within the scope of the subsidy. The subsidy amount is 3,000 yuan per unit. Regardless of the purchase price, the subsidy is 3,000 yuan. It is limited to the food waste machine body and does not include consumables such as filters, activated carbon, and detergents.
When applying, people must prepare an application form, a copy of the purchase invoice issued after November 1 (must indicate the brand, model, amount and date), a copy of the subsidy payment account consistent with the applicant, a copy of the warranty or manual cover containing the brand, model and production number, as well as a copy of the household register and a copy of the household registration. The application form can be downloaded from the Hualien City Office website. It is only accepted at the counter and not by mail. The application location is the Hualien City Cleaning Team (No. 61, West China).
