As the Year of the Dragon draws to a close and the new year approaches, many citizens have the habit of doing a thorough cleaning. For large discarded items such as furniture or mattresses, please follow the recycling notices, collection methods, and schedules announced by local environmental protection bureaus or township cleaning teams to properly hand them over. The Ministry of Environment has surveyed garbage collection schedules in each city and county. During the Lunar New Year period, the garbage collection times and methods for each locality can be found on the “Environmental Management Administration of the Ministry of Environment” official website(https://reurl.cc/O5Rl0v) or on the websites of each local environmental protection bureau. In principle, garbage collection will stop on the afternoon of January 28 (Tuesday), Lunar New Year’s Eve, and gradually resume normal operations from February 1 (Saturday), the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Taichung City will continue garbage collection during the holiday, and New Taipei City, considering citizens’ needs during the suspension period, has specially set up 70 designated points for garbage collection.

The Ministry of Environment calls on everyone to clean their homes and surrounding environments, strengthen the removal and organization of stored clutter and water containers, maintain cleanliness, and prevent the breeding of vector mosquitoes. Let’s all “sweep out the old and welcome the new” to greet the Year of the Snake. High-pressure containers (such as gas canisters, sunscreen spray cans, hair spray cans, insecticide, spray paint, etc. that are filled under pressure) should follow the four recycling steps: “ensure they are used up, pack separately, label with warnings, and deliver to a recycling vehicle without a compression hopper,” to protect the safety of frontline cleaning personnel and citizens when disposing garbage.

When doing spring cleaning, choose cleaning products with eco-labels and avoid using products containing hazardous chemicals. Be sure to follow usage instructions and do not mix different cleaning agents to avoid harmful reactions. Keep the area well-ventilated while cleaning and store cleaning products properly to prevent children from accessing them, ensuring both safety and health.

In addition, if you need to use environmental sanitizers, follow the “4 principles” of safe usage when purchasing:

First, match the symptoms — choose products with clear sterilization and disinfection effects according to actual needs; Second, choose legal products — make sure they are certified and check for the license number “環部/署衛製字” or “環部/署衛輸字” on the package; Third, check expiration — confirm the manufacturing and expiry dates to avoid using expired products; Lastly, follow the label instructions — operate correctly as instructed on the packaging to ensure safety and effectiveness.

After thoroughly cleaning the surrounding environment, consider adding green plants to your home to beautify the space and purify indoor air. Plants such as Iron Cross Begonia, African Violet, Creeping Fig, and Gloxinia have strong dust-trapping abilities and are suitable for entrances and hallways. Trailing Red, Boston Fern, Poinsettia, and Monstera are good at removing carbon dioxide and are ideal for kitchens and living rooms. Additionally, Peace Lily, Chrysanthemum, Parlor Palm, Azalea, and Malabar Chestnut help remove formaldehyde, making them perfect for placing in studies and bedrooms—keeping your home beautiful and fresh.

During the Lunar New Year, people often visit temples for worship. Following this is the celebration of the Jade Emperor’s birthday on the ninth day of the new year, during which joss paper is commonly burned. The Ministry of Environment especially calls on the public to prioritize cooperating with local government measures such as “centralized burning of joss paper” or “substituting merit or offerings (e.g., rice) for joss paper.” Do not burn joss paper arbitrarily to avoid fire hazards and air pollution. Let us all contribute to reducing pollution for a better environment.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, many people begin their year-end cleaning, leading to increased amounts of garbage. The Ministry of Environment states that cleaning teams will work overtime before and after the holiday to collect trash. They only collect garbage, not gifts. Citizens are encouraged to express gratitude with a simple “Thank you for your hard work!” to acknowledge and appreciate these unsung heroes, who help ensure that everyone can celebrate the New Year in a clean and tidy environment. Additionally, the public is urged to properly package and sort their garbage to prevent injuries to cleaning staff and reduce their workload in sorting and processing waste.