Semi-processed cornstarch will be imported from China next year to be made into biodegradable polythene bags, a local biotechnology company said yesterday.
"We plan to process the raw material in China first because the cost is lower," Felex Chen (陳銘通), general manager of Emperor Biological Appliances (皇上生物科技公司), said yesterday at a press conference.
Chen said that his company was cooperating with a manufacturer in Tianjin (
He said that Emperor would manufacture environmentally friendly biodegradable bags of all varieties. Diverse environmentally friendly products will be available on the market in Taiwan next year, ranging from bin liners, garbage bags, shopping bags, industrial packing film, dining utensils and gardening appliances.
Chen said that the import of these semi-processed goods from China was allowed by the government due to its potential benefits for the environment.
Chen said that few Taiwanese companies were currently producing biodegradable bags and that the technology needed to be improved. But, he said, degradable polymer-related technology was well-developed in China because of a policy due to come into effect soon, which will ban plastic bags.
The first wave of the policy, which will come into effect in January, will ban the use of disposable tableware and plastic bags will be banned soon after.
"It's estimated that about two billion plastic bags are used in China every day," Chen said, adding that the situation has a negative impact on the environment.
Chen said that a new term in China, "white pollution," has been coined to describe the littering habits of train passengers.
"If you look down from above, it's easy to identify where the major railroads are. White plastic meal boxes are littered all along them," Chen said.
Taiwanese scientists said that since polyethylene is not biodegradable, certain special additives such as cornstarch can be added and processed to make it biodegradable.
Chen said that, for the sake of the environment, biodegradable bags deserved to be promoted in Taiwan even though they cost about 1.5 times that of traditional plastic bags.
"So-called `green chemistry' has been promoted in many countries. If 30 percent of the material can be replaced by cornstarch, the production consumes less fuel energy," said Lee Shyh-yang (李世陽), a manager from Union Chemical Laboratories at the Industrial Technology Research Institute.
"Green chemistry" is the use of chemistry to reduce pollution or environmental damage. By reducing or eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances associated with a particular synthesis or process, chemists can greatly reduce any damage to human health and the environment.
Lee said that experiments had proved that such products could degrade within months.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
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