TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung will begin charging food waste processing fees in March as Taiwan moves to fully ban feeding pigs with kitchen waste in 2027, with a one-year transition starting this year.

The city government said Wednesday it moved early to ban feeding pigs with food waste after African swine fever risks rose. Environmental Protection Bureau officials said the new fees aim to cover long-term treatment costs and follow the polluter-pays principle.

The bureau said households whose waste fees are bundled with water bills will not face extra charges. It said businesses and others outside that system will pay fees at designated incinerators starting March 1.

The Commercial Times reported Wednesday that fees will include phased discounts to ease the shift. From March, rates will be cut 50%, then reduced by 33% in 2027 and 2028, before switching to prices set by future bioenergy facilities, per the bureau.

In the short term, food waste will be composted or dried and incinerated under tighter operating rules, the bureau said. The city plans to build a bioenergy plant through a public-private partnership to convert waste into electricity by late 2028.