The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has revised its draft regulations on restaurant air pollution to require eateries to install exhaust facilities and perform monthly maintenance, or face fines of up to NT$1 million (US$34,572).
The agency released its first draft of restaurant air pollution regulations on May 16, 2018, but as many eateries reported having difficulties installing the required equipment, those regulations were never passed, Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control section head Chen Yi-chia (陳宜佳) said on Friday.
It has collected feedback on its revised proposals and hopes to enact the rules by the end of the year, the EPA said.
In the 2018 draft, eateries with at least NT$100,000 in capital, space of at least 100m2 or ones that have received three or more public complaints within 30 days, would have had to install proper exhaust facilities and keep regular maintenance records, which would have affected about 10,000 establishments, Chen said.
In the new proposals, the EPA decided to raise the qualifying thresholds and refer to local regulations, so the rules could be applied nationwide, she said.
For example, since most eateries in Taipei and New Taipei City are in dense, mixed-use neighborhoods, the EPA decided to adopt different regulations for different areas, so in those municipalities, the rules would focus on storefront restaurants, especially those offering barbecue, she said.
Taipei restaurants with capital of at least NT$100,000 or floor space of at least 100m2 would be subject to the regulations, while those in New Taipei City would be subject if they have at least 100m2 of space or seat 30 or more customers, Chen said.
Smoke and smell complaints are common in Taipei, since restaurants are often in residential buildings, so eateries that have received at least three complaints or are deemed to have high polluting potential would be subject to the regulations, she said.
In other municipalities, only establishments with at least 1,000m2 or that seat 300 or more diners would be subject to the regulations, she said.
Since the industry has never had standardized pollution regulations, the first phase would have a very basic threshold, Chen said.
New eateries would be required to have the proper ventilation facilities as of March 1, while existing eateries would have until Dec. 1 next year, the EPA said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS