Interaction between Civil Society and Government: A Case Study of the Evolution of Waste Management Policies in Taiwan

The environmental movement in Taiwan emerged against the backdrop of democratization. Initially, Taiwan's waste management policies relied heavily on incineration and landfilling, with little to no policy framework before the 1980s, leading to waste being discarded indiscriminately. In 1984, the construction of "sanitary landfills" began, marking a shift away from random dumping. However, the 1985 fire at the Neihu garbage mountain—caused by excessive garbage accumulation and subsequent methane ignition—served as a wake-up call for Taiwanese society, highlighting the need for better waste management. Civil society in Taiwan has played a crucial role in shaping waste management policies, successfully reversing government policies from the bottom up. Throughout this interactive process between civil society and the government, one can observe not only the "protest politics" that emerged post-democratization but also the growth of Taiwanese civil society, evolving from NIMBY-driven demonstrations to the pursuit of environmental justice. This paper employs a case study approach to explore how Taiwanese civil society has influenced the evolution of waste management policies, examine its interactions with the government, analyze the process, and assess the characteristics of various actors and the methods used to effect policy changes.