Results of the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) first day to crack down violators of an environmental policy that limits the use of plastic bags and plastic disposable tableware suggest that most stores comply with the new law, the agency said yesterday.
After publicizing the second, stricter stage of the new policy for the past 45 days, environmental officials yesterday began to inspect stores.
On Jan. 1, the ban on free plastic bags and utensils extended from all government-run stores to department stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, convenience stores and almost every type of retailer, except street vendors. It's estimated that more than 50,000 stores have been affected by the implementation of the second round.
Due to limited manpower, only 831 department stores, shopping centers, warehouses and supermarkets were inspected yesterday.
Among them, eight stores received warnings for violating the new measures.
"I'm basically satisfied with the inspection results. We will re-evaluate results of the implementation [of the policy] in two months," EPA head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said.
Hau stressed yesterday that affected stores should avoid a wait-and-see attitude because the policy would be carried out thoroughly without hesitation.
If violators are found to be still in violation of the law when inspectors return, in two to four weeks time, they will be fined NT$60,000, officials said.
The warnings, officials said, are to give offenders one last chance to comply and dispose of all banned plastic materials in stock.
The eight violators either offered customers plastic bags and containers (cups and dishes) for free or provided plastic bags whose thickness is less than 0.06mm, according to Yeh Jiunn-horng (
Yeh said the EPA yesterday received more than 70 calls from stores, mostly bakeries, bookstores, tea companies and unaffected stores to inquire if they were allowed to offer customers plastic bags.
Meanwhile, Yeh said, the EPA also heard of cases involving unaffected stores' charging customers for plastic bags.
"There's no law banning the action. But the problem will be solved by the market mechanism itself," Yeh said.
Yeh said that customers could either boycott such stores or be trained to carry reusable shopping bags.
Yeh said that the EPA was willing to see any action that would phase out plastic materials.
The EPA has set up a toll-free hotline, 0800-085717, to encourage the public to report violations or answer inquiries on the new policy.
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