Businesses operating at Taipei government agencies, schools and city venues run by outside contractors would be required to charge for disposable tableware, including cutlery and containers, starting from July 22.
A fee of at least NT$1 would be charged for each disposable container, plate, set of chopsticks or spoon in the approximately 280 designated venues, the city government said in a statement yesterday.
Photo: Chen En-hui, Taipei Times
It estimated that the measure is to cut the use of disposable tableware items by 27 million pieces per year.
The Taipei Department of Environmental Protection said the restriction would be carried out in stages, starting with public spaces and then moving to private operators of food services, to comply with a city ordinance passed in July last year on net-zero emissions management.
The city began in 2020 to charge fees for and recycle disposable tableware at 119 of the city venues run by contractors that provide such services, the department said.
Many public and private operators have joined in the initiative, and by strengthening plastic and waste-reducing policies, the city hopes people would be encouraged to prepare their own cutlery and containers, it said.
The department previously promoted restrictions on the use of melamine resin tableware in 2016.
As of last year, a total of 902 venues, including 38 markets, 13 night markets, 29 universities, 27 central government agencies, 119 outsourced venues, 53 department stores, 16 wholesale markets and 607 firms, have joined in, the department said.
Melamine is not heat-resistant and releases harmful chemicals when heated, the city said.
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