The Consumers’ Foundation said on Wednesday that the government should develop a new national standard that clearly categorizes biodegradable levels of toilet paper and facial tissue and that manufacturers should improve the labeling on their products, including providing biodegradable levels.
A survey conducted by the foundation between Aug. 12 and Sunday with 1,340 individuals showed that 77 percent of respondents were in favor of flushing away used toilet paper — 55 of whom said they already did so — while 23 percent disagreed with the practice.
The survey was held in light of a controversy over calling on people to flush used toilet paper rather than throwing it in waste bins as a way to save on disposal costs.
As toilet paper is made mainly from wood pulp, it breaks down easily in water, while facial tissue contains both wood pulp and paper additives, such as wet-strength agents, which means that it does not break down as easily, said Wu Chia-cheng (吳家誠), a foundation member and professor in the Department of Chemistry at National Taiwan Normal University.
Used toilet paper can generally be disposed of by flushing, Wu said, but given that it is difficult to differentiate between toilet paper and facial tissue from the packaging alone, manufacturers should improve packaging and labeling to highlight the differences between the two types of paper products, which would enable consumers to tell one from the other, Wu said.
As of April, the nation’s household sewer connection rate was only 18.38 percent, Wu said, adding that toilet paper should only be flushed down in areas where toilets are connected to sewage treatment systems, or where septic tanks are emptied frequently, to avoid harming the environment
Toilet paper in many other countries is made from short-fiber pulp and does not contain bactericides, whitening and bleaching agents, Wu said.
This type of paper, he said, is the main source of food for microscopic organisms that can help pollution control by metabolizing organic matter in sewage.
He said that the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection should establish criteria for the classification of toilet paper products’ degradable levels to help consumers distinguish between products that can be flushed in toilets from those that cannot.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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