A Mr. Huang purchased a piece of farmland, sized at 1,800 pings, in Tainan City’s Annan District in 2007. Trash and waste plastics were illegally dumped and buried in the property due to his neglect. The property was sold to another buyer in 2014. The Environmental Protection Bureau of Tainan City Government (TNEPB) was notified of possible illegalities on the property, and retrieved aerial photos for further investigation. The Bureau then identified illegal dumping on the estate, judging from the shift in its topography and landscape within 2007 to 2008. Mr. Huang was asked to make a cleanup within a set date for violating the Waste Disposal Act. An initial estimation indicates that the cleanup would cost NT$40 million.
The Act has specified that “landowner who allows illegal dumping of waste or serious misconduct that leads to illegal dumping of waste on his land should perform the clearance and disposal of the waste in specific time period.” “Serious Misconduct” is defined as lack of care, or negligent management of property that leads to the dumping of waste and environmental contamination. The Bureau noted that after purchasing the farmland, Huang left it in disuse, which caused illegal landfill of trash and waste; this has qualified as “serious misconduct,” and Mr. Huang should be held accountable for the cleanup within a set date. The Agriculture Bureau and Bureau of Land Administration have also been given a written notification to monitor and document the incident.
The TNEPB also said that people without scruples often target disused land for dumping their waste; landowners could easily be implicated due to their negligence, causing significant losses and damages. Mr. Huang had planned on starting an agricultural recreation operation; yet he left the property to idle. He said he had no inkling that illegal dumping of waste had taken place on his estate when the investigators showed up. The price of his negligence was steep.
The Bureau advised that protective fencing systems or enclosures should be set up around any idle properties to discourage trespassing. Routine circuit inspections around the estate are necessary to ensure that the fencing systems and surveillance cameras are in working order. The tapes should also be refreshed periodically and the old recordings archived properly, to ensure that a rigorous estate management mechanism is in place. Notify the TNEPB as soon as you spot any act of illegal dumping on your property, so that you would not be liable for “serious misconduct” and implicated to handle the cleanup. Take a photo of the suspect and his or her vehicle license plate when you discover illegal dumping taking place, and call the public nuisance report hotline 0800-066666, or report it to the authority to stamp out pollution and safeguard your rights and interests.
Department: Soil Pollution Management Section, supervisor: Yang, Chao-Chuan
Contact info: 06-2686751 ext. 336, Mr. Wu, Pin-Hao