Public dissatisfaction over the country's environmental quality and the government policy restricting the use of plastic bags is increasing, according to a survey by the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation.
A composite indicator measuring public frustration with the quality of the environment registered a high 70.06 points last year, up 2.07 points from 2003.
About 59 percent of the respondents said that "restricted use of plastic bags" is a failed policy.
Less than 20 percent said it was a success.
Foundation chairman Liou Ming-lone (劉銘龍) said yesterday that the organization has conducted similar surveys annually since 1995.
According to Liou, the past decade has seen an increase in the government's environmental protection fund, which might explain why the indicator dropped from 78.72 points in 1995 to 67.1 points in 2003. However, the rebound in the index last year showed that public dissatisfaction with the environmental quality was on the rise again.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has accumulated NT$35 billion (US$1 billion) in air-pollution fees, Liou said, adding that the agency plans to start charging consumers for water pollution as well. He suggested that the government put the revenue to better use.
"The public deserves to get the service [improvement of air and water quality] that it pays for," Liou said.
Liou also criticized the regulation to reduce the use of plastic bags, saying that it increases the use of paper bags instead. The ruling simply benefits businesses because the cost of purchasing plastic bags has been transferred to customers, he said.
Customers are paying more than they should, and businesses can earn NT$200 billion to NT$ 400 billion in annual profits from selling plastic bags, he said.
Liou suggested that the government restrict the use of both plastic and paper bags.
Businesses, according to Liou, should contribute to environmental protection efforts by donating profits gained from selling the plastic bags.
Wu Tung-jye (
"It is actually a very good policy," Wu said. "It is a good way to promote `green consumption.'"
The survey also revealed that up to 43.66 percent of the respondents thought land conservation is a serious issue.
About 37 percent said Taiwan's environmental quality has deteriorated over the past five years, while 24 percent said it is about the same as before.
Approximately 90 percent said the government should pass more comprehensive rules to regulate dioxins in food. The poisonous chemical has garnered much attention lately as it has been found in duck eggs in Changhwa and pork imported from the Netherlands.
Sixty-four percent of the participants in the survey said they supported the legislation that no mobile phone base stations should be built in residential areas.
The foundation commissioned Gallup Market Survey Group, Taiwan, to carry out the survey, which was conducted last month. The survey included 1,097 valid responses, with a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 3 percent.
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