Beverage shops around Taipei will begin restricting the use of single-use plastic cups in December, making the capital the first municipality in Taiwan to do so in response to international calls to reduce plastic waste, according to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.
In a statement released Saturday, the agency said that 2,206 beverage stores in Taipei will stop using disposable plastic cups — including those made from the widely-used bioplastic polylactic acid — starting Dec. 1.
The new measure will lead to an estimated reduction of more than 76 million single-use plastic cups and 912 metric tons of plastic waste per year, the agency said.
It explained that the new restriction had won approval of the majority of the city’s beverage businesses, after they were informed of the city’s plan to restrict beverage stores from using disposable plastic cups from Dec. 1, in accordance with the central government’s plastic reduction policies.
The agency elaborated that the ban will apply to both chain and non-chain beverage shops, which are being given a buffer period between now and December to use up their plastic cup inventory, evaluate alternative cup materials, increase discounts for consumers who bring their own cup, and consider providing a “reusable cup” loan service.
The implementation of the restriction in December will make Taipei the first municipality in Taiwan to respond to the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) policy to reduce the use of plastic cups nationwide by 2024 at the latest.
The restriction on plastic cups is partly a response to the international call for ending plastic pollution led by the United Nations Environment Assembly, which convened in Nairobi in March and made plans to develop “an international legally binding agreement” by 2024, according to the EPA.
Meanwhile, the policy also follows a rule announced by the EPA that took effect nationwide in July, mandating a discount of at least NT$5 (US$0.17) to customers who bring their own cup to purchase a beverage.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel