TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Nantou County magistrate candidate Wen Shih-cheng (溫世政) on Thursday reiterated his opposition to a planned incinerator project in Nantou County’s Mingjian Township, citing concerns over pollution and potential damage to the area’s tea industry.

Nantou County Magistrate Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) has argued that Nantou should build its own incinerator to establish independent waste-processing capacity, saying the county is the only local government in Taiwan without one. Opponents of the project, however, have warned that pollution from the facility could harm the township’s prized tea production, per UP Media.

Wen outlined three major concerns with the project. First, he said pollution from the incinerator could damage local industries. Second, he warned that the facility’s planned capacity — roughly double the county’s projected needs — could encourage the processing of waste from outside Nantou and provoke local opposition. Third, he argued that the funds allocated for the incinerator could instead support alternatives such as solid recovered fuel (SRF) technology.

Wen proposed using SRF as a waste-processing solution, saying it would provide both waste disposal and energy generation benefits. He added that SRF systems would allow individual townships to develop their own waste-processing capacity rather than concentrating the burden in Mingjian Township.

TPP Legislator Chen Chao-tzu (陳昭姿) also criticized the incinerator proposal, noting that the planned site is located in a basin where pollutants could linger over nearby tea farms, per ETtoday. She added that habitats for endangered species, including leopard cats and Asian yellow pond turtles, are located near the proposed facility.

Mingjian Township Mayor Chen Han-li (陳翰立) accused the county government of pressuring residents by holding 24 public meetings since January 2026, per Liberty Times. He argued that the administration was using its administrative resources to push the project forward.

Environmental groups also pointed out that the central government has not approved use of access roads for the project, meaning the planned facility currently lacks a transportation route, per Liberty Times. Referencing controversy surrounding the Linnei incinerator project in Yunlin County, New Power Party Yunlin County council candidate Liao Chang-chun (廖昶淳) warned that flawed environmental impact assessments could result in wasted public resources, per Newtalk.

SRF technology converts waste that would otherwise be incinerated into combustible fuel, per Our Island. Yunlin County, which also lacks an incinerator, has used SRF technology to manage waste disposal while selling SRF fuel products to Formosa Plastics Group.

However, SRF technology also faces criticism. Greenpeace has argued that SRF ultimately functions similarly to incineration by addressing waste disposal rather than reducing waste generation. The organization added that the SRF production process itself consumes energy and creates pollution.

Taoyuan City Government has previously rejected proposals for three SRF plants following local opposition over concerns about air pollution, per PTS.