Taichung is to ban all single-use plastic cups at the city’s beverage shops and other retailers starting on Oct. 1, in an effort to comply with the Environmental Protection Administration’s plan to phase out such products by next year, the Taichung City Government said on Wednesday.
The ban — which applies to polylactic acid-based biodegradable containers — is expected to reduce the production of such cups by 106 million per year, the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau said.
The bureau is planning to inform affected businesses about the ordinance so that they can advise customers and make other preparations, bureau Director-General Chen Hung-yi (陳宏益) said.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
Failure to comply with the ordinance could result in a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, Chen said, citing article 51 of the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法).
The city has about 5,000 venues that serve soft drinks, including beverage shops, convenience stores and fast food restaurants, 60 percent of which serve drinks in disposable plastic containers, Chen said.
Taichung residents should prepare multiple-use cups for personal use and minimize the utilization of disposable plastic items, he said, adding that reduction of plastic waste is the most effective when practiced at the source.
As an incentive to the public, consumers are to receive a discount of NT$5 or more per purchase when bringing their own cup to a beverage vendor, he said.
The city government is working with franchises including Starbucks, Subway, MOS Burger, OK Mart, FamilyMart and Hi-Life to provide loan cups to consumers at 24 venues in Taichung, the bureau said.
Venues offering loan cups are marked on a Google Maps link accessible in the news bulletin of the bureau’s Chinese-language Web site at www.epb.taichung.gov.tw, it said.
Taipei in December last year became the first municipality in Taiwan to prohibit the use of disposable plastic cups at drink shops. A similar ban imposed in New Taipei City took effect on Monday last week.
Additional reporting by CNA
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS