The deadline for obtaining rewards for recycling PET bottles has been extended to the end of the year, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced yesterday. The original deadline was at end of this month.
Although the reward system was formally abolished on June 1, EPA officials said yesterday that PET bottles manufactured before June 1 were still available and hence, the program must be extended.
Each of the older bottles bears a square recycling mark, under which are words to the effect that NT$0.5 will be rewarded if it is turned in for recycling.
"To ensure the rights of consumers, we decided to extend the deadline to the end of this year," said Yu Yung-chiech (尤泳智), executive secretary of the EPA's Recycling Management Foundation.
However, Yu said consumers would only receive rewards at the 5,200 retail outlets belonging to the President 7-Eleven Chain Store (
Previously, consumers could turn in PET bottles for refunds at all retailers where the bottles were sold.
Over the last 10 years, financial losses associated with recycling PET bottles have reached NT$2.3 billion, the EPA said.
In 1992, the EPA began promoting the recycling of PET bottles, such as those that contain water, by offering a reward of NT$2 for each PET bottle returned for recycling.
At the time, the recycling rate was about 80 percent. In 1997, the reward was reduced to NT$1 to offset the growing financial losses. In April 2000, the reward was reduced to NT$0.5. The system was finally ended on June 1.
Yu stressed that beginning Sept. 1, retailers selling PET bottles were still obligated to accept the bottles returned from consumers. The reimbursed amount of per kilogram of bottles, Yu said, would now be NT$10.3.
Retailers that refuse to take back the bottles will be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 for violating environmental laws, Yu said.
Yu added that the program's termination would not hurt those who earn a living by picking up recyclable materials, because the reimbursements for recycling other materials, such as glass bottles, pesticide containers, paper boxes and others, would be increased in September.
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