“Bubble tea,” or “hand-shaken tea,” has become a daily essential for many Taiwanese people over the past decade. It starts with one key ingredient: tea. According to the Agriculture Ministry, Taiwan’s tea drink industry is experiencing a new trend of “returning to locally sourced ingredients,” with producers and consumers demanding domestically grown tea leaves and agricultural products as ingredients.

But ironically, the county that produces the most tea in Taiwan—Nantou—is now considering building a trash incinerator in the heart of its tea region, Mingjian.

In this episode, tea processor Simon Chang explains why local farmers and environmental groups believe this fight over garbage is, in fact, a battle for the future of Taiwan’s tea industry.