Recycling Caves in Xizhi 汐止回收洞穴

On the border of Nangang and Xizhi there lies a row of 3 caves with 6 openings, on Minquan Street Sec. 1 (民權街一段) near the intersection with Datong Road (大同路).  It is a place that many never notice, but yet pass by every day. 

​Having passed by these tunnels many times, my interest was piqued. I had no idea what they were, or how far they went into the mountain. I thought that perhaps they could be abandoned military bunkers or tunnels. I have searched online, but I still cannot find anything about them. So I assume I am the first person to blog about them in English or Chinese.

I have posted the video here so that you can experience the whole cave in its entirety, and hopefully you will not feel the need to come here yourself.

​At the 6 entrances to the tunnels there are piles of leaves. Inside every cave there is trash everywhere. But not just any trash: recyclables. 

​Also there was a mattress and chairs in a few of them, so I assume someone lived here at one point, if not still to this day. At best I can guess this was a trash collector’s hovel. 

This place was dirty, wet, and smelly. Also, there is nothing really special worth seeing. I would not recommend coming here.

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Just so you know, trash collecting and recycling is a popular occupation for many in Taiwan that don’t have another source of income. They sort through other’s trash to find things that are recyclable and then sell them to recycling plants for a few bucks. I have a feeling that many of them live in abandoned houses, and I am sure that one of them lived in this cave. I am not sure how they would have liked me traipsing around their house. But then again I am not sure if someone actually lives there at all.

​If you want to go there and see the caves for yourself (although I think you probably shouldn't after reading this), here is a map:

If you know anything about these caves or have anything else to add, please comment, below.

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