A slew of new measures are to take effect on Friday, including nationwide bring-your-own-cup discounts.
The new rule requires chain beverage shops to offer discounts of at least NT$5 (US$0.17) to customers who bring their own cups, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.
The policy would apply to more than 50,000 chain retail locations, including beverage shops, convenience stores, fast-food restaurants and supermarkets.
Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times
It aims to cut down on waste from single-use plastic cups, more than 2.2 billion of which were used in Taiwan in 2020, the agency said.
For convenience, the EPA said it has asked retailers to display signs stating how much discount they offer to customers who bring their own cups or use a reusable one provided by the store.
Ahead of the policy’s implementation, McDonald’s and KFC branches in Taiwan this month began offering NT$5 discounts for customers who order beverages using their own cups, the agency said.
Also starting on Friday, the Directorate-General of Highways is to issue a new edition of the international driving permit that highlights the word “Taiwan” on the cover.
The new cover features the word “Taiwan” directly above the title “International Driving Permit” to better distinguish Taiwanese driving permits from those issued by China, the agency said.
The international community service hotline, 0800-024-111, is to stop operating and be replaced by the number 1990.
The government-run hotline provides Chinese, English or Japanese-language assistance for foreigners on issues such as visas, employment, taxation, health insurance and transportation.
Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is to raise the highest premium band to NT$219,500. It had remained at NT$182,000 for 12 years.
The NHIA has estimated that the change would affect 137,000 people who would pay about NT$116 to NT$1,939 more monthly than they previously did.
Also starting on Friday, tenants can apply to access a NT$30 billion relief program set up by the Executive Yuan.
At least 500,000 newlyweds, families with young children and single people living alone would benefit from the housing subsidy, the Ministry of the Interior said.
Subsidies would be offered to four times more families than had been eligible for the previous program, which was capped at 12,000 families, it said.
A family can benefit from the program if the average income of its members — including those not in the workforce — is lower than 2.5 times the government’s standard amount for the cost of living, it added.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from