"I chose to bring my own chopsticks mainly for health reasons," says Julie Ma (
"I am also doing this to protect the environment," she said.
Based on a survey from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), 36.3 percent of interviewees reported they prepare their own utensils when they eat out, while 25.1 percent said they sometimes or rarely do so, and 36.5 percent said they never bring their own utensils.
The administration has used the figure to gauge the degree to which their policy has been implemented.
On a five point scale where five indicates full implementation, the policy encouraging the use of self-prepared utensils only scored 3.1.
The report came after the administration started banning the use of disposable utensils in government agency cafeterias in July last year. Last September, the administration asked school cafeterias to stop giving out disposable utensils for dine-in customers.
Meanwhile, the survey found that other policies, such as separating recyclables, carrying used plastic bags or shopping bags and water conservation have all achieved a score over 4.
The EPA survey was conducted between April 18 and May 8. A total of 4,734 valid samples were collected. They were evaluated at a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of 1.42 percent.
As well as investigating the level of implementation for each policy, the survey also asked interviewees about their perceptions on issues related to air and water quality, noise and environmental hygiene.
Close to 60 percent of the surveyed population reported that they have been affected by pollution coming from the exhaust of motor vehicles in the past year.
Forty nine percent of the interviewees said they have been troubled by noise mainly from traffic as well as from neighbors living nearby.
Close to 70 percent said that they drink either filtered or bottled water, particularly respondents from southern Taiwan.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
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