TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A couple posing for wedding photos in front of a garbage dump in Puli City in Taiwan’s Nantou County went viral after a shot of the photoshoot was shared on Facebook Saturday (Oct. 15).
The couple decided to use their wedding photoshoot to draw attention to the waste disposal problems plaguing Puli City and many other cities in Taiwan, reported UDN. Many netizens praised the couple for their efforts to raise awareness of the problem.
Puli City currently lacks adequate waste disposal facilities and in recent months, tons of excess garbage have been piled up nearly four stories next to the city’s Office of Waste Management. City workers at the office must contend with the smell from the “garbage mountain” throughout their workday, per UDN.
The photo of the couple was shared by the Office of Waste Management and was also shared by the bride on Facebook. The bride, surnamed Hseuh (薛), is not from Nantou, but drove down from northern Taiwan for the photoshoot.
Hseuh said that the wedding photographer thought she was joking when she said they wanted to take photos at the garbage dump. The photographer said it was the first such request in their 30 years as a wedding photographer.
Hseuh said she wanted to take the photos at Puli’s “garbage mountain,” because the problem of excess consumer waste is a serious issue and is not unique to Puli or Nantou. She hopes people who see the photos in Taiwan will be encouraged to try and produce less waste in their daily lives.
The couple hopes that the situation in Puli and many other cities will improve and the amount of waste across Taiwan will steadily decrease in the future. According to a report from CNA, Puli is still looking for a suitable site to help improve its waste management capability.
In comments shared online, Hseuh expressed her thanks for her fiancé’s support for her unique choice of location for some of the couple’s wedding photos. The couple plans to hold their wedding in January, and the ceremony will be vegetarian and eco-friendly, with guests encouraged to bring their own containers and utensils, per UDN.