A number of new measures are to take effect on Saturday, including a ban on the use of polyvinylchloride (PVC) packaging by online retailers.
E-commerce platforms should prioritize the use of packaging made of 90 percent recycled paper in natural colors or plastic packaging made of more than 25 percent reusable plastic, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said.
Rules on how much packaging can be used would depend on the size of the online retailer, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Environmental Protection Administration
Retailers with paid-in capital of more than NT$50 million (US$1.61 million) would be subject to a packaging-to-product weight ratio of less than 40 percent for products weighing 250g to 1kg, less than 30 percent for goods weighing 1kg to 3kg, and less than 15 percent for goods weighing more than 3kg.
Retailers with paid-in capital of more than NT$150 million would be required to reduce packaging by 25 percent by next year, 30 percent by 2025 and 35 percent by 2026.
About 2 percent of the packaging materials used in products sold next year must be reusable, a ratio that would rise to 8.5 percent by 2025 and 15 percent by 2026.
Retailers that do not conform to the requirements would be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 and be required to change their packaging, EPA Recycling Fund Management Board Executive Director Wang Yueh-bin (王嶽斌) said.
The new rules do not apply to individuals who sell goods through online marketplaces, Wang said.
The T-Pass ticketing scheme is also to be launched on Saturday, giving people unlimited access to a range of transport systems at a set price.
The T-Pass for use in Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung and New Taipei City would cost NT$1,200 per month. The T-Pass for Taichung, as well as Changhua, Nantou and Miaoli counties, would cost NT$699 per month for Taichung residents and NT$999 for residents of the three counties. The T-Pass for Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County would cost NT$999 per month.
Starting from Monday next week, newlywed couples, families with young children, singles living alone and underprivileged families can apply for rent subsidies under a government program that expands the annual budget for subsidies to NT$30 billion from NT$5.7 billion.
Eligibility age would be lowered to 18 to conform with the new age of majority under the Civil Code that is to take effect this year.
Starting next month, the amended Equalization of Land Rights Act (平均地權條例) would take effect, after the Legislative Yuan in January passed changes to the act to curb speculation in the property market.
One of the key revisions prohibits the reselling or transfer of purchase agreements for presale or newly constructed residential units to third parties, long considered a loophole that encourages speculation.
The amended law introduces a recurring fine of NT$50 million for market manipulators. It also establishes a reward mechanism for people who report illegal transactions or actual transaction prices that have not been accurately registered, paying informants a certain share of the fines collected.
Also starting on Saturday, adjustments to copayments for emergency care and prescription drugs covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) are to take effect.
Regular prescriptions under NT$100 issued by a private clinic or district hospital covered by the NHI would be free of charge. People would be required to pay 20 percent of the fees if the total exceeds NT$100, with a cap of NT$200 per outpatient visit to a clinic or district hospital.
A fee of NT$10 would be collected for prescriptions of less than NT$100, and 20 percent for those more than NT$100 from regional hospitals and medical centers, capped at NT$300, the National Health Insurance Administration has said.
The government would also stop subsidizing Chingguan Yihau (清號冠一), a locally developed traditional herbal formula for COVID-19.
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