The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) aims to impose a nationwide ban on the use of Styrofoam cups by the end of the year.
The agency has mapped out draft measures restricting the use of expanded foam plastic to manufacture drink containers such as Styrofoam cups, of which more than 200 million are used per year, but only about 20 percent are recycled.
The ban was proposed because the popular material does not disintegrate easily, thereby damaging landscapes and causing pollution, the administration said.
It also poses a threat to marine and even human life, it added. Ocean life can consume pieces of discarded Styrofoam, putting themselves, their ecosystem and people who consume seafood at risk.
Under the administration’s plan, there will be a grace period after the ban goes into effect because it expects that about 2,000 beverage shops and 10 Styrofoam manufacturers will be affected.
Once that period is up, ban violators will be fined between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000 and ordered to make improvements, while serious offenders could face having their shop shut down.
A toxicology expert at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said Styrofoam is bad for human health, expressing hope that people will stop using cups and bowls made from the material.
Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海), director of the hospital’s Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology, said that Styrofoam can only withstand temperatures of up to about 70?C before it starts releasing the highly toxic compound benzene, which can increase the risk of an array of cancers over a long period of exposure.
He advised eating lots of fruit and vegetables to help metabolize any possible toxins in food or drinks held in Styrofoam containers.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS