Miaoli Prosecutors Indict 5 for Illegal Waste Dumping, Seek Heavy Sentences

The Miaoli District Prosecutors Office announced today that Prosecutor Zeng Ting-wei, under the command of the Third Brigade of the National Police Agency's Seventh Special Police Corps, and in cooperation with the Central Taiwan Environmental Management Center of the Environmental Protection Administration, investigated a case involving the illegal dumping of mixed plastic waste on multiple plots of land in Zaoqiao Township, Miaoli County, leading to the identification of 13 suspects. Police and prosecutors found that two men, surnamed Huang and Li, rented multiple plots of land and iron sheet factories in Shuangheshanjiao, Zaoqiao Township, to be used as sites for dumping industrial waste. Through three intermediaries, including a man surnamed Lai, they guided the transportation of waste. From June 2022 to January 2023, they received mixed plastic waste, including leather and sponges from discarded car seats, delivered by four environmental companies operated by men surnamed Hu, Li, and Zhang, at a price of NT$100,000 per truckload. Prosecutors stated that in less than one year, a total of 77 truckloads, including 52 large bags of mixed plastic waste, were dumped within the factory area, covering an area of 2,198 square meters and weighing approximately 1,500 tons. Following the conclusion of the investigation, prosecutors indicted five individuals on charges of illegal waste disposal and providing land for waste dumping, in violation of the Waste Disposal Act. Eight others were granted deferred prosecution. Prosecutors stated that among the five indicted defendants, Huang and Li, due to the severity of their crimes in providing land for dumping large quantities of industrial waste on four occasions each, and Lai, for mediating illegal industrial waste disposal on two occasions, are each facing sentences of two years and six months or more for each offense. The court was also asked to confiscate NT$2 million in illicit gains from the defendant surnamed Lai. Local residents pointed out that the plastic waste was openly piled, separated only by a road from the National Highway Police Bureau's Second Brigade. The dumping site was surrounded by iron sheets and concrete blocks, making it difficult for outsiders to discover. Fortunately, after the investigation, the operators voluntarily cleared about 1,223 tons. Otherwise, with the heavy rain that fell on the 4th, a large amount of accumulated water might not have receded in time, with unimaginable consequences. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150408