The founder of the largest general recycling company in Taiwan had a difficult, if not colourful, younger years, which he spent working for the local mafia to help pay off his family’s debts. Deciding to go straight in 1999, Meng Zhou Lin bought a wastepaper recycling factory, and in 2001 set up his own station for recycling household garbage at a time when other companies were focused on rare metals and electronic waste.

He also revamped the image of recycling centres as unsanitary and disorderly, developing facilities that were neat and systematic. Da Fon, which recorded a profit of US$100 million in 2018, now operates 35 sites in Taiwan and is the only recycler in Asia certified by EuCerPlast.

To further encourage recycling, Lin developed the Zero Zero app, which lets users find the nearest recycling centre or make a booking to have large appliances, and even automobiles, picked up.