"Great Wall of Mattresses": Over 3,000 Mattresses Piled in Taichung, City Aims for November Cleanup

TAICHUNG (CNA) – A massive pile of over 3,000 discarded mattresses at the Tanzi District sanitation squad depot in Taichung City has been dubbed the "Great Wall of Mattresses" by netizens, who also worry it could become a breeding ground for rats. The Environmental Protection Bureau stated today (19th) that they are regularly disinfecting the storage area and hope to complete the disposal by November. The Taichung City Government has launched a "Taichung NO Rats" prevention program. Kuomintang (KMT) City Councilor Lai Chao-kuo pointed out during a query on the 18th that a large number of waste mattresses have accumulated within the Tanzi District sanitation squad depot, forming a pile about 1 kilometer long, like the Great Wall. The public is concerned that the stacked mattresses could become hiding places for rats. The Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau stated in a press release that there are roughly over 3,000 discarded mattresses piled up at the Tanzi District sanitation squad. The sanitation squad will dismantle them with manpower or move them to a temporary storage site for shredding. A contract for mechanical shredding is already in progress. The Bureau emphasized that the mattresses are stored in a temporary area within the sanitation squad's depot and hopes to complete the processing by November. Regarding the rat problem, they also regularly reinforce disinfection of the discarded mattresses. Today, Lai Chao-kuo demanded that the city government first use disinfection to prevent the spread of rat-borne diseases and remove the waste mattresses as soon as possible, stating they should not be piled up any longer. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150519