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Pig famers have been using kitchen waste as feed for a long time, but it’s soon to become a thing of the past. To prevent the spread of African swine fever, the government has decided to ban the practice starting from next year. It’s not only pig famers who will need to adapt, but kitchens will also face significantly higher disposal fees. Is local infrastructure truly prepared to handle the looming surge in food waste? Let’s follow the FTV news team to find out.
Nearly 1,500 tonnes of food waste is produced every day across Taiwan, according to data from the Ministry of Environment. Of that, over one-third comes from schools. Most of it used to be sent to pig farms, but it’s not clear where it’ll go now.
Cho Jung-tai (Dec. 4, 2025)
Premier
We will assist farmers in changing to pig feed and ensure that the final deadline for transition—Dec. 31, 2026—is met as scheduled.
To prevent the spread of African swine fever, the government is banning the use of kitchen waste as pig feed from 2027. During the transition period this year, industrial food waste from restaurants, supermarkets, and cafeterias may be disposed of under certain conditions. But once all food scraps are lumped in with regular waste, combined transport and processing fees for a single cafeteria will cost at least NT$800,000 every month.
Chen Ming-hsin
Lunch box association chair
The collection cost for a 200kg barrel of food waste ranges between NT$300 and NT$700. So the financial impact on school cafeterias is fairly significant.
Although food scraps can still be fed to pigs at the moment, it’s only allowed under stringent conditions. Some farmers are upset, saying that mismanagement in one city has led to a nationwide ban.
Mr. Chen
Pig farmer
I actually think that feeding food scraps to pigs is best for everyone. In places like Taichung, the issue is in management. I think that the environmental protection and agriculture departments in every local government need to tighten their ships.
Local governments are exploring alternative solutions, such as enzymatic decomposition, bioenergy production, and composting with black soldier fly larvae. But the methods are still under development, and have odor issues. If there’s too much, the only answer is to burn it.
Lin Chien-san
Environmental Management Administration
It’ll take up about 5% of total incinerator capacity. Monitoring results show that dioxin concentrations are actually slightly lower than before the food waste was introduced.
Food scraps as pig feed will soon be a thing of the past. Where will it all go now? And is Taiwan ready?
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