Taiwan couple takes wedding photo at garbage dump, hopes to raise environmental awareness

TAIWAN: The wedding photo of a couple garnered widespread attention on Facebook when they were photographed against the backdrop of a garbage dump in Puli City, located in Nantou County, Taiwan.

The picture was shared on the social media platform on 15 October.

The bride, known as Hseuh (薛), explained her reason for selecting Puli’s “garbage mountain” as the backdrop for their photoshoot.

She cited the pressing issue of excessive consumer waste, emphasizing that this concern extends beyond Puli and Nantou.

Her hope is that the images will inspire individuals throughout Taiwan to actively reduce waste in their daily lives.

The couple explicitly expresses hope for improvements in Puli and other cities, with a simultaneous decrease in waste levels throughout Taiwan in the years ahead.

Their unconventional approach received praise from netizens for their efforts to raise awareness of this issue.

Presently, Puli City faces a shortage of proper waste disposal infrastructure, resulting in the accumulation of an enormous quantity of surplus garbage, forming a mountain of waste nearly four stories high adjacent to the municipal Office of Waste Management.

The viral wedding photo of the couple was shared by both the Office of Waste Management and Hseuh.

Hseuh, who hails from northern Taiwan, rather than Nantou, undertook a journey to the south for the photoshoot.

According to Hseuh, when she initially proposed having the photoshoot at the garbage dump, the wedding photographer mistakenly believed she was joking.

The photographer, who had been photographing weddings for three decades, acknowledged that this was the first time they had received such a request.

As per a report by Central News Agency (CNA), Puli is actively searching for an appropriate location to enhance its waste management infrastructure.

Hseuh also extended her gratitude for her fiancé’s unwavering support in embracing her unconventional selection for their wedding photoshoot location via comments shared online.

The couple has intentions to celebrate their wedding in January, with an eco-friendly and vegetarian ceremony and guests are kindly encouraged to bring their personal containers and utensils, as reported by UDN.

Coincidentally, the Nantou County government chose today to sign a contract with the private waste treatment firm “Cleanaway” under a public-private partnership, entrusting the company to handle 67,500 tons of waste from Nantou City over three years

The firm will manage the city’s daily output of 60 tons and the accumulated 20,000 tons of waste, with a total budget of nearly 500 million TWD allocated over several years.

This afternoon, in the lobby of the county government building, County Mayor Hsu Shu-hua and Cleanaway’s Deputy General Manager Tsai Shijie signed the contract. The agreement stipulates that the company will process 67,500 tons of waste for Nantou City over three years, starting this year.

Hsu noted that the total waste accumulation in the county has reached 230,000 tons this year. Although the county government has found eight cities and counties capable of incinerating 80,000 tons of Nantou County’s waste annually, this transportation capacity is still insufficient to handle the 250 tons of waste produced daily and the accumulated waste. Therefore, they decided to introduce private sector resources to solve the waste issue through public-private collaboration.

According to a report by the Taiwan news outlet, United Daily News (UDN), the employees at the municipal office have to endure the persistent odor emanating from the towering “garbage mountain” during their daily work shifts.

Furthermore, since the Nantou City landfill is located on Lingxing Road in the urban area, nearby residents have long complained about the unbearable stench, especially in hot weather. Consequently, Nantou City was prioritized for the allocation of special project funds to handle waste reduction efforts.

The Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau stated that the public-private partnership plan spans three years. The cost of processing per ton of waste is 7,350 TWD in the first year, with 13,000 tons to be handled, including the cost of screening equipment, for a budget of 99 million TWD.

The price will be renegotiated in the second year, with at least 26,000 tons to be processed each in the second and third years, up to a maximum of 67,500 tons over three years.

Regarding the issue of garbage piling up like mountains by the Puli town cleaning team, Hsu indicated that several sites had been identified. They will ask the town office to choose a suitable location to package the waste accumulated by the cleaning team and move it to other sites, allowing for a better working environment for the cleaning staff.