Pingtung County’s Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) is to become a demonstration site for plastic reduction and low carbon emissions, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced yesterday to coincide with World Turtle Day.
An island southwest of Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港), Siaoliouciou is the nation’s only island formed of coral reefs.
Although it only measures about 6.8km2, the island has a rich ecosystem, including a tropical forest along its coastline, cattle egrets and green sea turtles, the EPA said, adding that it is a good place to watch fireflies on summer nights.
Photo: EPA
The island attracts about 1 million visitors annually, with July to September the peak season for tourism, EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) told a news conference at the Taipei Railway Station.
However, visitors also leave behind a stunning 1,900 tonnes of trash each year, he said.
To protect the island’s environment and ecology, the agency has launched a two-year program to reduce plastic waste, including 19 action plans, such as banning disposable tableware at restaurants, increasing inspections of trash sorting at bed and breakfasts, installing or improving sewage systems and installing more water dispensers, he said.
Adding more water dispensers would encourage people to bring reusable bottles and reduce their consumption of bottled water, he said.
If half of the visitors to the island could avoid buying 600ml bottled water — which has a carbon footprint of 150g — that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 75,000kg, he said.
Tourists are also advised to bring their own toiletries, he said.
The number of hotels on the island that have committed to joining the agency’s plans has increased from 31 to 60, the EPA said, as it published a list of environmentally friendly hotels in a show of support.
The EPA has also teamed up with Chunghwa Telecom Co, which sends text messages to people visiting the island to remind them to take their garbage with them and to reduce plastic consumption.
Observed on May 23 every year, World Turtle Day was created by the American Tortoise Rescue in 2000 to raise public awareness about the protection of turtles and tortoises, as well as their shrinking habitats around the world.
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