The Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration has decided enforce recycling of waste cooking oils from next year, and will stipulate fines of between NT$1,200 (£20) and NT$5,000 (£84) for persons found mixing waste cooking oils with garbage.

Taiwan News reports that, according to the EPA, the move is aimed at launching a project to convert waste cooking oils into biodiesel fuel. This follows a recent successful attempt by the Council of Agriculture to grow soya beans, grapes and sunflowers for the production of biodiesel fuel.

Because biodiesel fuel is less harmful to the environment than diesel fuel, the EPA said, it will put NT$300 million into expanding the use of biodiesel oils next year. The administration said that at present, the price of biodiesel fuel ranges between NT$34 to NT$36 per liter, making it more expensive than high-grade diesel oils. In order to promote the use of biodiesel fuel, the EPA said it has, since last year, subsidized environmentally-friendly vehicles, such as garbage trucks and cars using biodiesel fuel, to the tune of NT$110 million.

From next year, with the implementation of the new cooking oil project, the output of biodiesel fuel would increase and the EPA would be able to expand its subsidies, the administration said. The EPA said it will first encourage its officials and bus drivers to use biodiesel fuel then step by step expand popular use