The Institute upholds its commitment to environmental sustainability by actively implementing comprehensive waste management and resource recycling and reuse. Through collaboration with green energy experts, recycling vendors, and stakeholders, the Institute optimizes recycling processes and expands the categories of recyclable materials to promote waste reduction initiatives. In response to the small-quantity and diverse nature of laboratory waste, ITRI has established the "Waste Management Directions." General waste is sorted by cleaning staff and subject to random inspections, while laboratory waste follows a systematic collection, storage, and reporting mechanism to ensure full regulatory compliance. The Institute also conducts regular audits of waste treatment contractors to ensure comprehensive waste management and oversight.

At ITRI Headquarters, general waste is primarily outsourced to the Hsinchu City Environmental Protection Bureau or incineration facilities in other counties. As the Hsinchu County incineration plant is still under construction, waste treatment may face delays during equipment maintenance or shutdowns. Therefore, proper interim storage management is required to minimize odor and environmental impact. The Institute continuously optimizes its waste management strategies, prioritizing treatment facilities with shorter transportation distances to reduce carbon emissions. At the same time, efforts are made to increase recycling rates and reduce the volume of general waste. By collaborating with environmental technology providers, the Institute expands the range of recyclable materials and implements resource reutilization mechanisms, thereby mitigating environmental impacts and advancing environmental sustainability objectives. 

Statistics of General Waste Quantity

Note: General waste at the Institute is not subjected to incineration (without energy recovery), landfill, or other non-classifiable disposal methods.

Statistics of General Waste by Type

ITRI’s laboratory waste originates from chemical and biological laboratories as well as pilot plants. Characterized by small quantities and diverse types, its classification and disposal present significant management challenges. Due to variations in experimental design and R&D activities, the types and amounts of waste fluctuate periodically. To address this, ITRI has adopted green chemistry design principles, chemical sharing, and circular technology development to advance waste reduction and environmental friendliness. In 2024, ITRI signed contracts with 26 qualified waste treatment organizations covering incineration, washing, and recycling processes, prioritizing the conversion of reusable waste into valuable resources—for example, transforming waste bottles into raw materials and reusing wastewater as a cooling agent in incinerators—to promote circular resource utilization. Compared with 2022, the total amount of laboratory waste in 2024 decreased by 32.73%.

Statistics of Experimental Wastes by Type

Note: Statistics include the data of ITRI Headquarters, Kuang-Fu Campus, ITRI Southern Region Campus, ITRI Central Region Campus, Southern Taiwan Innovation & Research Park, and Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site.

The Institute promotes resource recovery and reuse by expanding the range of recyclable items and enhancing recycling efficiency, thereby reducing the environmental impact of waste. Initiatives include hand towel recycling, furniture circulation regulations, and the establishment of a circular marketplace platform to facilitate resource sharing, as well as second-hand clothing donation campaigns to encourage resource reutilization. In the current year, the Institute continues to advance paperless operations and resource regeneration through document recycling into pulp and the implementation of digital administrative processes, reducing paper consumption. Moving forward, the Institute will continue to implement comprehensive waste management practices to achieve environmental sustainability.