TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The New Power Party on Tuesday criticized Nantou County government’s plan to build an incinerator in Mingjian Township, an area known for its tea production.

The NPP said the proposed incinerator’s capacity would be roughly double Nantou’s daily waste output, raising concerns that the facility is intended to process waste from other municipalities for profit, per ETtoday. The party questioned whether Nantou residents would benefit from such an arrangement.

The party also warned that locating an incinerator in Mingjian could undermine the township’s tea industry. Citing a declining population alongside rising waste volumes, the NPP questioned why the county government is prioritizing incineration over alternative waste management options.

Mingjian Township Mayor Chen Han-li (陳翰立) said the township is not only known for tea, but also hosts award-winning pitaya farms and has recently recorded sightings of leopard cats. He alleged he was excluded from the incinerator review process after refusing to sign a document endorsing the project, per UDN.

Chen previously said the county government had not assisted with waste disposal for six to seven years, but removed about 1,500 tonnes of waste after announcing the incinerator site in 2024, per Liberty Times. He suggested the government was stoking public concern over waste to pressure Mingjian into accepting the project.

The Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau rejected Chen’s claim, saying he was asked to leave the review meeting because organizers could not verify his identity after he declined to sign in. Bureau Director-General Li Yi-shu (李易書) has also addressed concerns about the potential impact on tea production, per PTS.

Speaking in September, Li said he was unaware of complaints that Taipei’s Muzha Refuse Incineration Plant had harmed tea cultivation in nearby Wenshan District. He said government data show that the Muzha facility, located at a distance comparable to the proposed Mingjian site, has had little effect on surrounding tea farms.

National Central University professor Cheng Fang-yi (鄭芳怡), however, warned that the proposed site’s basin-like terrain could trap pollutants, increasing the risk that incineration byproducts could settle on nearby tea fields, per AgriJourney News. She said detailed assessments of local terrain and climate should be conducted during the environmental impact assessment process.

At a public hearing on the project in September, a resident surnamed Wu (吳) said incineration is not an ideal solution to waste disposal, but argued that opponents of the project have yet to present a viable alternative, per CNA.