To address the issue of waste management, Yunlin County has actively pursued the latest European waste treatment concept and successfully obtained central government subsidies. In October, 2022, Yunlin County procured the European original “Fully Mobile Waste Sorting and SRF Production System” equipment, including a single shaft crusher from Austria, a drum screener, and a baling machine from Sweden. The equipment is scheduled to undergo testing by the end of March, 2023, officially marking the county's entry into a Waste-to-Energy (WtE) full circularity phase.
Yunlin County is pioneering the construction of the country’s only “Fully Mobile Waste Sorting and SRF Production System” with core components based on EU specifications. The system primarily handles temporary waste from various landfills in the county. Through processes such as opening bags, sieving (organic matter, metal, impurities), and other procedures, it extracts lightweight fuel substances as raw material for “Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)” production. Industrial-grade compression and packaging equipment is used to effectively compress and package the bulky SRF, ensuring the quality of the raw materials. At the same time, it facilitates the transformation and improvement of various landfills in Yunlin County, optimizing space utilization and enhancing environmental quality.
Compared to similar sieving systems currently used domestically, the mobility of this system allows for the processing based on different combinations, including crushing operations for furniture, waste wood, spring beds, and combustible construction waste, as well as sieving of compost elements. The system meets the diverse needs of the county and its superior mobility increases processing flexibility, effectively maximizing the utilization of landfill space throughout the county.
Yunlin County Magistrate Li-shan Chang emphasized the urgent need to establish autonomous waste treatment capabilities as the county still relies on waste incinerators in other counties and cities to handle household waste. From the implementation of the “Zero Waste Recycling System” (Z.W.S) in 2020 to the establishment of the “Fully Mobile Waste Sorting and SRF Production System” in 2022, Yunlin County has been progressively strengthening its autonomous waste treatment capabilities through the Waste-to-Resource (WtR) approach. This approach not only aligns with international trends and central government policies, it also positions Yunlin County as a demonstration model for a circular economy nationwide.
Director Qiao-wei Zhang explained that the system is currently designed to handle temporary storage and sorting of old waste, with a planned processing capacity of 200 tons per day. It can produce 100 to 120 tons of SRF raw material. To enhance the quality of “Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)” for subsequent energy utilization, additional fine sieving equipment operated by professional external contractors has been introduced to improve SRF quality. This will increase the proportion of SRF in fuel blending, reduce coal consumption, and decrease carbon dioxide emissions. From now on, garbage is not just waste; it can be effectively reused according to its different characteristics. By transforming waste into fuel and giving waste a new value based on its characteristics, Yunlin County takes the lead in establishing a circular economy model for WtE conversion, making it the first in the country.
