For the Intelligent Community Forum’s (ICF) 2024 “Green Sustainability” evaluation, Yunlin County showcased how it worked with Formosa Plastics Corp., a local enterprise, to promote a public-private partnership for resource circulation based on the concept of a circular economy. AI smart management was also employed to strengthen environmental monitoring and emergency response capabilities in order to reduce the potential impacts of disasters. ICF Co-founder and Director Peter Portheine was very impressed with Yunlin County’s efforts in green sustainability and specifically requested a tour of the Yunlin Offshore Industrial Park in Mailiao for the latest ICF visit to Taiwan.
Deputy County Magistrate Shu-Ya Xie arranged for Mr. Portheine to visit the Yunlin Offshore Industrial Park and asked Formosa Plastics to assist with a guided tour. The tour began with an introduction to the origins of the Mailiao Offshore Industrial Park, as well as how it is working closely with Yunlin County Government to convert waste into energy. General waste is processed into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) and used by Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (FPCC) as an alternative fuel to reduce both coal consumption and carbon emissions. During the tour of the Mailiao Eco-Industrial Park Showroom, videos and graphics were used to illustrate the importance placed by Formosa Plastics on the environment and ecology. The display included textile products made from recycled plastics developed as part of resource circulation in recent years. Next, Mr. Portheine was shown around the Nan Ya’s compost plant. About 30 tonnes of kitchen scraps are produced daily in the Yunlin region; in December 2018, Yunlin took the lead in banning the use of kitchen scraps for pig feed as part of the African Swine Flu containment plan. To deal with local kitchen scraps, separate recycling pipelines were introduced for raw and cooked kitchen scraps. Collected kitchen scraps are now shredded and dehydrated to reduce their moisture content and volume before being transported to Nan Ya Plastics Corp. for composting into “Yunlin Fertilizer (雲溉肥).” Differences in Asian and Western diets lead to differences in the composition of kitchen scraps. Mr. Portheine showed great interest in Nan Ya’s use of accelerated fermentation for processing kitchen scraps and asked many questions. He also praised the distribution of “Yunlin Fertilizer” to local communities, agencies, schools, and residents on request to boost public engagement recycling awareness.
After the tour, Deputy Magistrate Xie stated that Yunlin is an agricultural county that is not as well-resourced as the six special municipalities. Nevertheless, the efforts of County Hall have resulted in a global No.7 ranking in the global smart cities evaluation. She therefore has even greater confidence in the county government’s initiatives on digital intelligence and green sustainability. She thanked the ICF delegation of industry, government, academic and research experts for the opportunity to share Yunlin County’s accomplishments once more. In the future, the county will continue to draw on best practices in Taiwan and overseas in order to become an even better smart city.
Director Qiao-Wei Zhang from the Environmental Protection Bureau of Yunlin County said that during the field inspection by ICF representatives in September last year, the Bureau used “Turning waste into energy for total waste circulation”, “Yunlin County Environmental Smart Decision-Making Support System (Y.E.S)” and “Toxic Chemical Dissipation Simulation 3D Holographic Projection System” as the key themes to explain the seven major resource and energy circulation loops being promoted in Yunlin County. City sensors and big data were also used to develop a decision-making support system and 3D holographic projection system. This year, the theme of “Smart Decision-Making and Precision Management - Environmental Information Integration and Simulation” won the “2025 Smart Cities Innovative Application Award.” All of these reflected Yunlin’s determination to maximize the welfare of the people by balancing economic development, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. As smart governance continues to evolve, Yunlin will also continue to use public-private partnerships to promote a clean homeland and sustainable development in Yunlin County in order to create a healthier and more habitable living environment.
