Taiwan Gets Tough on Trash as Space Runs Out

[dArKeR]

Sifting through garbage isn't something most people are very keen on but, in Taiwan, dodging the dirty duty could result in a fine of almost US$200. Every night, Chang watches her neighbors haul bags of trash past her laundry store to a street corner, where they wait for the wafting melody of Beethoven's Fuer Elise blared from loudspeakers to herald the arrival of the garbage truck.

The truck stops for about 15 minutes while residents toss their rubbish onto the back as city workers check the litter has been properly sorted into three groups: recyclables, kitchen scraps and non-recyclable waste.

If not, Chang and her compatriots are liable for up to T$6,000 (US$190) in penalties as part of new government drive to reduce household non-recyclable waste to 25 percent of garbage by 2020 from the present 80 percent.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050426/lf_nm/environment_taiwan_dc

Taiwan has been recycling so much for 12 years that I know of and it just get accelerating each year. When I would come back to America during this time period just about every family member and friend I visited here just through everything in the garbage. Where are the educated Americans?