TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Si-chuan (李四川) is considering adding to the number of trash and recycling bins on the city’s streets after former Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) reduced the number to promote waste reduction.

Lee on Sunday (Jan. 29) wrote on Facebook that while walking around Taipei, he noticed several problems, including litter on lawns. The Storm Media reported that in a later interview, he said he would discuss the issue of restoring bins in specific areas that need them with the Department of Environmental Protection.

Ko responded to the issue during an interview on Tuesday (Jan. 31), saying rather than putting more bins on the street, the government should educate Taipei’s citizens about reducing waste or taking waste home for disposal. He added that the more bins there are on the street, the harder it is to manage and lower costs.

According to Liberty Times, the number of trash and recycling bins on sidewalks during former Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) administration was over 3,000. After Ko’s administration took over, the number dropped, hitting the 1,200 mark at one point in 2020.

However, according to a poll conducted by the city government’s Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission, over 70% of citizens would like more bins to be available. Currently, there are around 2,000 sets of bins on Taipei’s streets.