TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is considering allowing migrant workers to take waste processing jobs, with a scheme that could involve hundreds of companies and more than 1,000 workers if approved.

The environment ministry said Monday it will discuss the issue with the labor ministry, local governments, and waste management companies on Feb. 11. Although some roles in the industry are classified as “3K jobs” (a Japanese term meaning dangerous, difficult, and dirty), some operators are still unable to hire migrant labor, per CNA.

The ministry’s recycling department said this is because some waste treatment and recycling operators cannot obtain factory status. Department Director Lin Chien-san (林健三) explained that since these firms are not classified as factories, they are currently barred from recruiting migrant workers, even though the work is similar to factory jobs.

More than 660 waste recycling companies have applied to hire over 1,000 migrant workers, but the final number will depend on future demand.

Labor ministry statistics show that as of early December, Taiwan had just over 820,000 migrant workers, mostly from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand. According to the Employment Service Act, foreigners can only be hired if there is a shortage in the local labor market.