The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday reiterated an announcement that it will be mandatory to recycle tablet PCs, external hard drives, cold cathode fluorescent lamps, fluorescent induction lamps and other lights containing mercury starting on March 1 next year.
Citing the growing number of digital and electronic products that hit the market each year, the agency estimated that the number of tablets and external hard drives sold this year would reach about 2 million and 400,000 respectively.
The agency last month said that these products are to be listed as mandatory recyclable items so the nation can conform to the international trend of strengthening regulations on products containing mercury.
The agency’s Department of Waste Management said that the responsibility for recycling these types of products lies with their producers. As such, it charges producers a handling fee for electronic products recycling that is used to subsidize the EPA’s Resource Recycling Fund Management Board so it can inspect recycling plants.
After March next year, the improper disposal of such products will carry a fine of between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000.
In addition, the agency yesterday said it will organize meetings to inform importers, manufacturers or dealers of such products of their responsibilities.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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