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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated