The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has proposed a new regulation that would ban the use of tableware made of a plastic called polylactide (PLA) at eight types of public venues, including schools, convenience stores and restaurants.

The proposal would revise an existing regulation that currently bans those eight venues from providing plastic tableware except for PLA-made items.

Taiwan first banned plastic tableware at the eight venues — public agencies, public and private schools, department stores and shopping malls, hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, fast food restaurants and restaurants — in 2002.

But PLA was excluded because it was thought to be more biodegradable than other similar materials, leading those venues to turn to PLA products to ease the ban’s impact on their operations.

The regulation was revised in 2006 to prohibit the distribution of single-use tableware involving materials other than plastics to people dining on-site at schools and public agencies.

In 2019, the regulation underwent another revision to ban the use of plastic straws (which are not made of PLA) at public agencies, school cafeterias, department stores and shopping malls, and fast food restaurants.

It also banned the distribution of single-use tableware made of any material for on-site dining at all of the eight aforementioned venues.

Though PLA was thought to be relatively biodegradable, the EPA has found in its years of use that it actually disintegrates very slowly unless under certain conditions, the agency said.

It has also been hard to recycle because of a lack of PLA recycling facilities in Taiwan and because it is easily confused for polystyrene, which has led to confusion in efforts to recycle polystyrene and sparked environmental concerns, according to the EPA.

The proposed regulation unveiled on Feb. 1 will go through a public review period and is expected to take effect on Aug. 1, the EPA said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel