TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hsinchu has expanded its unmanned recycling network from 22 to 43 sites after the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau on Thursday launched 21 new smart recycling stations at General Village.

Hsinchu City Government said it is using smart technology to better integrate sustainability and daily life. It noted that its long-term goal is to install at least one unmanned recycling station in every neighborhood.

Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) said future upgrades will connect recycling points with shared services. “These include power bank rentals, smart umbrella rentals, YouBike stations, and Gogoro charging facilities,” Kao said.

Kao said the new machines will accept a wider range of items, including paper drink cups. The upgrade allows paper cups used for hand-shaken beverages in standard sizes ranging from 240 ml to 665 ml to be recycled.

She said the system operates under a “deposit, collect, and reward” model designed to make recycling simple and engaging. Users earn points through transit cards or a mobile app, while machines display reward balances and carbon-reduction data, CNA reported.

“The unmanned stations have collected large volumes since launching in June 2025,” Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chiang Sheng-jen (江盛任) said, per Yahoo News. “As of December, the stations have collected more than 1.12 million plastic bottles, 130,000 cans, 50,000 milk bottles, and 320,000 used batteries.”