Action Plan for Air Pollution Control which details specific control and prevention measures for every air pollution source was passed by the Executive Yuan on December 21, 2017. Taiwan EPA aims to reduce the annual average PM2.5 concentration from 22 μg/m3 (in 2015) to 18 μg/m3, and to decrease the yearly number of red alert days from 997 station-days (in 2015) to 499 station-days. In 2018, the annual average PM2.5 concentration dropped to 16.2 μg/m3 and the yearly number of red alert days dropped to 171 station-days, which means that the short-term milestone has been achieved. In order to improve the air quality continuously, Taiwan EPA developed a control plan for the next stage - Air Pollution Control Plan for 2020~2023 to address the control strategies for existing stationary sources, commercial cooking operations, open burning, mobile sources and air quality deterioration prevention, and aims to achieve the reduction in air pollutant emissions by 21,985 for PM10, 9,487 tons for PM2.5, 66,520 tons for NOx, 19,649 tons for SOx and 32,910 tons for VOCs.
The major tasks of this project include (1) assistance in implementing the strategies to reduce emissions from commercial cooking operations, burning of joss paper and agricultural wastes; (2) collecting the results of strategies including “control of oily smoke”, “amelioration of problems caused by burning joss paper” and “reuse and treatment of agricultural wastes”; (3) assistance in reducing odor pollution from animal husbandry. At the moment of finishing this final report, questionnaires of oily smoke control of ten barbecue and steakhouse restaurant chains (ninety-three restaurants in total) have been collected and collated, and field research and counselling of ten restaurants have been conducted. In addition, the performance verification tests of two types of pollution control devices have been conducted. Regarding the air pollution caused by burning of joss paper and joss sticks, the website and platform for promoting environment friendly folk activities have been built. Moreover, the guideline to reduce the air pollution caused by burning of joss paper and joss sticks has been prepared. In order to control the opening burning of agricultural wastes, control strategies of different counties have been collected and the geographical information of “Agricultural Waste Open Burning Information System” have been updated and maintained. Regarding the odor emissions from livelihood sources, control measures and techniques used to reduce odor pollution from animal husbandry in Taiwan and other countries have been collected and field research and counselling of ten livelihood sources (including four livestock farms, one temple and five restaurants) have been conducted. In addition, three publicity leaflets and three animations for promoting environment friendly folk activities and open burning control have been designed. Moreover, the economic benefit analysis of executing this project has been employed. Four discussion meetings, one sharing session and two advisory consultation meetings have been held to collect opinions and advises on “Management Regulations for Facilities to Control Air Pollution from Commercial Cooking Operations” (Draft), control strategies for cooking oily fumes, air pollution caused by burning joss paper and open burning of agricultural wastes.
