To study the current status of the sources, types, quantities, transportation, disposal, and recycling of agricultural waste (fruit trees), this project completed 40 on-site investigation activities of agricultural waste sources and 10 on-site investigation activities of agricultural waste recycling. The results showed that in 2008 the planting of fruit trees produced 3,940,000 tons of branches and leaves waste, 3,130,000 tons of which were produced from herbaceous fruit plants such as pineapple, banana, etc. These branches and leaves waste were disposed in the field or buried in the soil as fertilizer due to their high water content and ease to rot and ferment. The rest 810,000 tons of branches and leaves waste were from woody fruit trees such as date palm, bellfruit, sugar-apple, etc. Although agricultural agencies have promoted to chop them up and used them as compost or cover material, about 100,000 tons of waste branches and leaves were still burned in the open air, mainly in Taichung County, Tainan County, Kaohsiung County, Pingtung County, and Taitung County during the months of January, March, August, September, and December. Suggestion was made for the agricultural agencies to subsidize the purchase of chopping machines, while the environmental agencies to enhance auditing activities, in order to mitigate the burning activities of the agricultural wastes in the open air. Furthermore, this project also carried out proximate and ultimate analysis, collection and analysis of agricultural waste reuse technologies, and feasibility studies of multipurpose reuse of agricultural waste (fruit trees). As a preliminary step, the first priority is to get subsidy for chopping machines for on site reuse of the agricultural waste (fruit trees), and those remaining that can not be reused on site may be disposed to nearby existing facilities (such as composting plant, mushroom farm, carbonization plant, incineration plant, industrial boiler, etc.) for use as manure, base materials for mushroom cultivation, carbonized biological carbon, and fuel materials. In the future, if the collection and transportation system for the agricultural wastes is well established and reuse technology has matured, and in line with the domestic energy demand and the environmental and energy policies of energy saving and CO2 reduction, it is suggested that for the mid-term plan, a comprehensive recycling facility (such as cogeneration facility) of bio-energy by lignin should be established. In the long-term plan, a recycling facility of high-efficiency energy recovery (such as gasification facility, production of cellulosic ethanol or bio-diesel) may then be established. As for the management of the source reduction of agricultural waste (fruit trees), it is suggested to start from the technology improvement of fruit trees’ planting in order to reduce the production of waste branches and leaves. Regarding those materials used in fruit tree planting, it is suggested to coordinate the farms to promote reducing the use of materials, adopting substitute materials, and reuse or recycle the materials, in order to reach the goal of zero agricultural waste.

Agricultural (Fruit Trees) Waste, Waste Branches and Leaves, Multipurpose Reuse, Source Reduction, Agricultural Waste Management