A French TV show host praised Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) for its cup-sharing program, as well as other eco-friendly initiatives.
Jerome Pitorin, who visited the coral island off the coast of Pingtung County to film an episode of the French travel show Echappees belles, said that he liked the reusable cups that reduced waste on the island, the Tourism Bureau and the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration said in a statement on Monday.
Pitorin and his crew traveled throughout the island using the cups, which was part of a program launched in April, the statement said, adding that the Dapeng Bay group provided support for the film crew during their visit.
Photo: Dapeng Bay Management Office via CNA
In the cup-sharing program, anyone who has registered for the service with their cell phone number can borrow reusable stainless steel cups for free from 23 designated spots, which include beverage shops, convenience stores and tourist service centers, and they can be returned to 27 stations across the island, it said.
Each cup has an identification number and the system tracks how many each person has borrowed, it added.
Pitorin and his team also used reusable lunch boxes provided by environmental groups to buy food on the island, the statement said, adding that they ate at restaurants that have reduced the use of plastic in their operations and stayed at an eco-friendly hotel.
As Pitorin liked the cups, the groups that provide them gave him one as a gift, it said.
Siaoliouciou Island attracts a large number of tourists every year, but the increasing number of visitors has also had a negative impact on the local environment, causing a noticeable increase in plastic waste, the statement said.
To combat this, several businesses have started offering discounts to eco-friendly tourists, and the effort has been expanded by two environmental groups, Ching Piao and Hiin Studio, it said.
The groups plan to roll out more initiatives next year, which would allow tourists to rent lunch boxes, cutlery and raincoats, Hiin Studio deputy chief executive Kuo Fu (郭芙) said.
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