Single-use plastic straws will no longer be available at a wide range of venues in Taiwan from Monday as part of a government effort to limit ocean pollution, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Wednesday.
The ban is to take effect at government agencies, public and private schools, department stores and shopping malls, as well as for onsite use at chain fast-food stores, the EPA told a news conference.
First-time violators will not be punished, but if they breach the regulations again, they would face a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, the EPA said.
Photo: Liu Li-ren, Taipei Times
Take-out and delivery orders can still include plastic straws, it said.
People in Taiwan use 3 billion plastic straws per year on average, so hopefully the regulations, along with a prohibition on microbeads in personal care products, would help reduce marine pollution and mitigate the harm to ocean creatures, EPA Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) said.
On July 1 last year, Taiwan banned the production and import of personal care products containing plastic microbeads.
Fast-food chain KFC stopped offering plastic straws at its restaurants in Taiwan on June 11, while McDonald’s banned plastic straws at its outlets in Taipei on April 22 and said that its restaurants nationwide would follow suit by the end of this month.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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