Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 November, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

A climber helps remove garbage from a mountainside in Hualien County.[/caption] Taiwan’s wild places are masterpieces of nature. But garbage tossed by passing humans is threatening even the most remote of these places. Officials have decided to take action, organizing a team of alpinists for a cleanup in Taiwan’s eastern mountains.

As Taiwan has become more environmentally conscious in recent years, garbage-strewn beaches have received a lot of attention. But Taiwan’s garbage problem extends deep into its mountainous interior.

Litter in the mountains is more than just unsightly: officials warn that flammable garbage could help wildfires spread during the dry season.

In mountainous Hualien County on Taiwan’s east coast, officials have decided to fight back against this tide of trash. The Forestry Bureau got together a team of 50 climbers and put them to work on a cleanup project. The goal was to clear the slopes near a mountain highway.   [FULL  STORY]