Environmental authorities, prosecution, police work together again to bust illegal landfilling of over 1,000 tonnes of waste within factory floating raft system

At the beginning of 2024, through the Taoyuan District collaboration platform of environmental authorities, prosecutors, and police, a task force was formed between the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Management Administration (EMA), Seventh Special Police Corps’ Third Division, and the Taoyuan City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The task force, tracking the waste of a chemical trading group’s Pingzhen factory, discovered in March 2025 that to save waste disposal fees, the group had illegally landfilled its subsidiary’s industrial waste within its factory’s floating raft system during reconstruction. It is estimated that the amount of illegally landfilled waste is as high as over 1,700 metric tons, while the group evaded over NT$20 million in disposal fees. Having completed investigations, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office has charged 10 people and three entities according to Articles 46 and 48 of the “Waste Disposal Act.”
The group primarily engages in the import and trade of chemical raw materials, with affiliated companies producing products such as food additives, building materials, and resin coatings. The parent company has a capital of over NT$7 billion, indicating a significant scale of operation. During the investigation, the EMA discovered that the group had long neglected environmental responsibilities. Environmental documents and reporting materials showed multiple deficiencies, and waste was not regularly entrusted to proper disposal services. On March 12, 2025, the task force launched a search operation, confirming that the group had indeed buried waste illegally at its factory. It ordered the company to excavate and remove it and properly package and store it to prevent further pollution. The Taoyuan City DEP will require the company to submit a waste disposal plan and fulfill its responsibility for proper cleanup.
It is understood that the illegally buried waste includes cement building materials, resin coatings, foam, discarded products, waste liquids, and laboratory waste. These should have been properly sorted and stored according to their nature and handed over to authorized disposal operators. Now, the various types of waste have been mixed and cross-contaminated, making subsequent handling more difficult and significantly more expensive. In addition to bearing the high cost of cleanup, the company must also face criminal liability.
The EMA reminds businesses that environmental protection costs, including waste disposal, are a necessary part of industrial development. Waste must be handled in accordance with the “Waste Disposal Act” and not hidden, nor should waste ever be used as part of a building foundation. Businesses should not try their luck by illegally disposing waste or outsourcing waste disposal. If further pollution occurs, they may face even higher environmental restoration costs, as well as up to five years of imprisonment and fines of up to NT$15 million. The EMA will continue to collaborate with law enforcement and local governments to combat environmental crimes and safeguard a healthy living environment.