TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Xiaoliuqiu has about 1,500 tonnes of recyclables waiting to be removed after a transport contract failed to attract bidders for the 15th time, CNA reported Tuesday.
Liuqiu Township Office held a tender Tuesday for a contract to transport recyclables from the island. The tender failed again because no company submitted a bid.
Local township mayoral candidate Lee Yi-chan (李伊展) said the recyclables have been piling up since late last year. He said long-term storage could attract mosquitoes and cause bad smells near roads and busy areas.
Lee said the problem comes as Xiaoliuqiu enters its peak travel season. He said poor environmental conditions could affect residents and make visitors less willing to travel to the island.
Pingtung County environmental department said about 1,500 tonnes of recyclables are waiting to be removed. It said township offices are responsible for collecting and removing general waste and recyclables, while county environmental authorities handle follow-up treatment.
The department said it will look into why the tenders keep failing. It said it will also check whether it needs to coordinate with shipping companies and supervise the township office.
UDN reported that Xiaoliuqiu faced a similar transport problem in 2024, when garbage removal tenders failed nine times. About 600 tonnes of garbage piled up over nearly two months before the county government sent workers, police, equipment, and cargo ships to help remove it.
Recyclables from Xiaoliuqiu are not sent overseas but are transported to Taiwan proper for processing. In past operations, the waste was taken by truck to Dafu Harbor, shipped to Yanpu Fishing Port in Pingtung, and then transported by truck to the Kanding refuse resource recovery plant for treatment, per CNA.
