Local governments were instructed to reinstate a ban on single-use plastic utensils in public spaces as the nation’s COVID-19 situation has eased, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Tuesday.
Last year, food services at government agencies, public and private schools, department stores, shopping malls and hypermarket chains were prohibited by the agency from providing dine-in customers with single-use utensils, while local governments were to set the implementation dates for each sector.
However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the ban on disposable utensils was temporarily lifted for food establishments granted approval by local governments.
Applications for exemptions totaled 377 in April and less than 100 in May, but the use of single-use utensils has increased 50 percent, the EPA estimated.
Given that the nation’s virus situation has abated, the EPA said that local governments were informed last month that they should reinstate the ban.
People breaching the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) by providing single-use utensils to dine-in customers would face fines of up to NT$6,000 (US$203), Department of Waste Management Director-General Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩) said, adding that fines would accumulate daily for establishments failing to reinstate the ban by the deadline.
In related news, the EPA said that it would spend NT$60 million promoting environmentally friendly night markets.
The agency would assist 22 night markets identified as trial sites to promote reusable utensils, sort and recycle garbage, install smoke evacuation systems, and improve waste water discharge and restroom cleanliness, Lai said.
To encourage food vendors to install smoke evacuation systems, the EPA would subsidize 60 percent of the cost, she said.
The agency would also give markets a NT$500,000 subsidy to install a facility for separating waste oil from water, she said.
The EPA plans to train local environmental bureaus to evaluate food vendors and give a badge to those that qualify as being environmentally friendly, she said, adding that by September, visitors would see the badges at certain night markets.
The 22 trial sites include Keelung’s Miaokou Night Market (基隆廟口夜市), Taipei’s Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市), Hsinchu’s City God Temple Night Market (城隍廟商圈), Hualien’s Dongdamen Night Market (東大門夜市) and Penghu County’s Magong Tourist Marketplace (馬公觀光商圈).
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