TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Environment has used technology to uncover multiple cases of companies breaching the Air Pollution Control Act and worked with local governments to issue over NT$1.1 billion (US$34 million) in fines.

Earlier this year, the ministry identified a company in Changhua that manufactures PU synthetic leather for failing to pay air pollution control fees for an extended period. The company also intentionally reported lower amounts of raw materials used in its production, per CNA.

In May, Taichung High Administrative Court ruled the company must pay a fine of NT$40 million. Additionally, the company was found to have failed to replace its activated carbon system, an air filter that uses carbon to remove harmful gases from the air, as required by the Air Pollution Control Act. For this breach, the county’s Environmental Protection Bureau imposed an additional NT$100,000 fine.

To enhance monitoring, the bureau has installed 500 air quality sensors across the county, supplementing the five air monitoring stations set up by the ministry. The bureau also employs an AI-powered smoke detection system to monitor open burning of straw or waste.

Last year, Taipei’s Environmental Protection Department installed devices along the city’s major roads that can identify potentially high-polluting vehicles within seconds. The number of vehicles screened using these systems is up to 18 times higher than traditional roadside inspections conducted by officers.

As of September, the department had detected nearly 20,000 potentially non-compliant vehicles using the system.  

Additionally, to prevent illegal waste dumping, the ministry plans to install 4,000 smart fence systems across Taiwan, starting with pilot programs in central and southern regions. The system combines vehicle recognition technology with AI-powered monitoring to identify high-risk vehicles.