Thousands of residents in Chi Chi, a scenic town in central Nantou County, held the historic vote Saturday, with 97.88 percent of the ballots opposing the construction of an incinerator in the town.

Town chief Li Chung-ching said the vote, though non-binding in nature, suggests the planned incinerator was detested by the residents and threatened to mobilize 30 bus loads of residents to "appeal" to the central government if their will is not respected, the United Daily News said.

Taiwan's cabinet is drafting a law to pave the way for the island's historic referendum, which is slated to coincide with the next presidential polls in March, according to the Democratic Progressive Party government's plan.

Taiwan's government in July approved guidelines for the holding of referenda on controversial national policies, though it ruled out holding a vote on the island's future.

The paper cited an unnamed official from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) as saying that the EPA might target a nearby town as the construction site for the incinerator designed to dispose of up to 500 tonnes of garbage each day.

However Nantou county magistrate Lin Tsung-nan said he feared the county would encounter a garbage crisis if the county's residents refused to accept the incinerator at their backyard.

The official said the EPA is watching to see if a "domino effect" would happen regarding the rest of the incinerator plans.

Of the 11 plans, five are half completed, according to the EPA.

But an environmental activist accused the EPA of having filed improper environmental impacts reports in pushing for the construction plans.

"There would be no need to fear the ongoing plans might be botched if the environmental impacts reports have been done in a proper way," Liou Ming-lone, head of the non-profit Environmental Quality Protection Fund.

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