Photographer Says "First Time Seeing This"... Taiwanese Couple's Wedding Shoot at a Garbage Dump

Environmental Activist Couple Takes Commemorative Photo at Garbage Dump
"We Wanted to Raise Awareness of Taiwan's Large-Scale Waste Problem"

A Taiwanese couple who took wedding commemorative photos in front of a garbage disposal site has become a hot topic. The couple, environmental activists, reportedly took these photos to raise awareness about Taiwan's waste problem.

According to AFP and other sources on the 22nd (local time), Ian Shiou and Iris Shue, a Taiwanese couple preparing for their wedding next January, recently took commemorative photos in front of a garbage disposal site in Taiwan.

Shiou and Shue are active members of the environmental protection organization 'Greenpeace,' and have especially voiced concerns about reducing the use of disposable products and carbon emissions.

The massive pile of garbage used as the background for the couple's wedding photos is known to be a waste site located in Puli Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. Additional photos the couple shared on social networking services (SNS) such as Facebook show various household wastes piled up like a mountain at the disposal site.

A crane is busy working atop the huge garbage mountain. The couple reportedly took the commemorative photos regardless of the surrounding environment.

Shiou and Shue wanted to spread awareness about Taiwan's increasing waste disposal problem. The Puli Township waste site collects an average of 50 tons (t) of garbage daily, more than double the average of 20t in the 1980s.

In a post on Facebook, Shue said, "I hope everyone becomes aware of the large-scale waste problem accumulating annually in Taiwan," adding, "I wanted to convey that reducing waste is more important than picking up trash."

She also said, "When I said I would take wedding photos with a garbage mountain as the background, the photographer thought I was joking," adding, "The photographer said in his 30 years of work, he had never seen a case like ours."