Reusable cup rentals have now made it to Green Island (綠島) and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) in a bid to reduce plastic waste and its burden on the sensitive marine environments.
There are 1,200 reusable cups available for rental on the two outlying islands, the Taitung County Environmental Protection Bureau said on Sunday.
The initiative began at the end of last year, but uptake was limited due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel, it said.
Photo courtesy of Lynn Mo via CNA
However, more visitors began using the system over the Lunar New Year holiday, it added.
There are five automatic kiosks on Green Island and four on Orchid Island, where cups can be rented and returned.
Users need only scan a QR code and register their cup number to borrow a cup, which is professionally cleaned and sanitized before re-entering circulation.
To promote its initiative, the bureau invited travel writer Lynn Mo (黃小莫) to come and see for herself.
Mo, whose writing centers on environmental and ecological topics, said that borrowing can save not only a paper cup, but also the plastic cover and straw that come with it.
Stores also offer a discount to customers who bring their own cup in a win-win situation for visitors and the environment, she said.
Green Island also has a few dozen drinking fountains, which could eliminate the need for bottled water when paired with the rental cups, saving both money and waste, she added.
An owner of a drink shop said that they joined as soon as the initiative was announced to help protect the environment, as their family is involved in the tourism industry.
Visitors seem to be taking part, they said, referencing the many customers they have encountered using the cups.
The kiosks on Green Island are at Nanliao Harbor (南寮漁港), the airport, the township office, 7-Eleven and Ding Go.
There are also five locations where cups can be returned, but not rented — at the duty-free and hot spring stores, and three hotels.
On Orchid Island, cups can be rented and returned at Kaiyuan Harbor (開元漁港), the airport and two 7-Eleven stores, and can be returned at the township office.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by