2017-03-01 In order to reduce the pollution caused by fine particulate matter (otherwise known as PM2.5), the Environmental Protection Bureau of Yunlin County Government won funding from the Executive Yuan’s Environmental Protection Administration in 2015 to install particulate filters on the county’s 74 diesel-powered garbage trucks. With the installation being completed in late October 2016, the older EURO III and EURO IV diesel-fueled garbage trucks now meet the latest EURO V emissions standards. This reduction in emissions by at least 80% is estimated to have led to the prevention of 364 kilograms of PM2.5 being released into the atmosphere each year.
With the WHO naming the fumes emitted from diesel vehicles as a grade-1 cancer-causing substance, all new vehicles with diesel engines on the market now come equipped with emissions reduction equipment such as particulate filters. However, with the county government still running a significant quantity of older diesel-powered vehicles, the Environmental Protection Bureau decided to take the lead and set an example by installing particulate filters on its older garbage trucks. By reducing residents’ exposure to diesel fumes when they take out their garbage, it is hoped that the government's image will be improved.
Director-General of the Environmental Protection Bureau Lin Chang-chao stated that residents face an increased risk of exposure to polluting emissions when taking out their garbage due to the slow moving nature of garbage trucks. For this reason, these vehicles were prioritized for the installation of particulate filters in order to reduce the effects of air pollution in people’s everyday lives.
In 2015, a second application for funding was also made to the Environmental Protection Administration to install particulate filters on the county’s EURO IV diesel-powered vehicles so as to further improve air quality. It is also hoped that transport and logistics operators will follow suit and install particulate filters on their own vehicles. Director-General Lin also called on private companies to do their bit by installing these filters on their own diesel-fueled vehicles and ensuring that their vehicles meet national diesel emission standards. After all, good air quality and public health can only be maintained when people work together.