The Pingtung County Government was criticized on Tuesday for hypocrisy after a beach cleanup event featured plastic water bottles and balloons, when single-use plastic is a major culprit in the oceans.
One attendee posted online that he was amazed that the county could mobilize most division and agency heads, along with trash collectors and ambulances on standby, but added that it was “unbelievable that the county government used taxpayers’ money to set up banners, balloons and bottled water for an event aiming to make people more environmentally conscious.”
Another attendee, known as Siao Lan (小蘭), said she was surprised the event used single-use plastic cups.
“The event produced more plastic waste than the amount of plastic usually gathered at a cleanup event,” Siao Lan said.
Other events have used water barrels and reusable cups, Siao Lan added.
The county’s Environmental Protection Bureau said that many of its previous events switched over to water barrels and reusable cups, but that it decided to use bottled water for the beach cleanup due to the event’s scale and the number of participants.
The Hengchun Township Office (恆春) used balloons to “hype up” the event, the bureau said, adding that bottled water was a “convenient” solution to the challenge of having enough water on hand.
The bureau would communicate the importance of observing policy with local township offices, it said, but it hoped that the public would be understanding, knowing that the decision was made with the best intentions.
The beach cleaning event removed 278kg of waste, of which 65kg was recyclable and 213kg was trash, the bureau added.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS