IN TAIPEI
I TOOK two big plastic bags, stuffed with more plastic bags, back with me when I returned to Taipei after a trip home to Singapore in August.
Although I am happy that these plastic bags are not dished out to me without thought in Taiwan, as is the case in Singapore, this does mean I am often short of bags to line my bins.
Taiwan is generally more environmentally friendly than Singapore and has often come up with good ideas to go green.
These include subsidies for buying energy-saving washing machines and refridgerators, and promoting cycling.
But two initiatives, reported in the Taiwan media on Wednesday, have caused many people to go green in the face instead.
The first is a crematorium in Taipei, which uses smoke from the burning of corpses to power its air-conditioning system.
On average, the crematorium burns 52 corpses a day and the recycled fumes can help save more than NT$3,000 (S$150) a day in energy costs.
Still, the idea of using fumes from cremations to supply cold air has given some people the shivers.
Isn't it creepy, some ask. And how will the kin of the deceased feel?
One fengshui expert interviewed also believed that the fumes from burning bodies are a kind of dirty "qi", which will bring bad luck.
Surprisingly, though, given that the Taiwanese tend to be a superstitious lot, six in 10 people polled by Apple Daily newspaper are okay with the crematorium's recycling move.
Meanwhile, in Taichung, the local authorities have announced a novel scheme to encourage people to pick up litter from the streets.
Folks who pick up things like discarded paper or styrofoam cups can turn these in for vouchers in a scheme starting next week.
What has raised eyebrows though is that residents will also get rewarded for picking up dog poo, with every 1kg exchangeable for NT$100 in shopping vouchers.
While the intention is good, many, including me, wonder if it can be enforced. As the common saying here goes, the authorities have policy, the people have contingency.
"Who can tell if the brown substance handed in was really picked up from the streets? What is to stop people from turning in poo from their homes in return for vouchers?" I asked a colleague.
She almost spat out the pomelo she was eating.
I guess when it comes to green causes, Taiwan has no taboos.