Bubble tea is a popular drink in Taiwan, and the shaken beverage industry is internationally renowned. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 4 billion disposable beverage cups are used annually in Taiwan, placing a significant burden on the recycling system. With the NT$5 discount for bringing your own beverage cups taking effect on July 1st, the EPA estimates that this will reduce the number of beverage cups used annually by 580 million, up from the current NT$1-3 discount of 150 million.
Data from the Environmental Protection Agency also shows that, unlike beverage shops, breakfast shops saw a significant increase in plastic beverage cup usage between 2019 and 2020. Environmental groups warn that breakfast shops and street vendors also use significant amounts of plastic cups and will inevitably be subject to restrictions in the future. They urge the government not to backtrack due to backlash and lobbying from businesses.
Chinese people use 4 billion beverage cups annually, with plastic cups accounting for over half, with the beverage industry being the largest user.
In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency calculated that 1.5 billion disposable beverage cups were used in my country every year. Ten years later, the Environmental Protection Agency conducted another investigation and found that a total of 3.99 billion disposable beverage cups were used in 2020, an increase of more than two times.
Wang Yuebin, executive secretary of the Environmental Protection Administration's Recycling Foundation, explained that the statistics this time include all usage statistics of stores "subject to beverage cup restrictions" and "unregulated" stores. If only regulated stores are counted, Taiwanese people use about 2.2 billion disposable beverage cups each year.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency's "2021 Single-Use Plastic Product Source Reduction Plan," a survey of approximately 260,000 businesses, including breakfast shops, street vendors, and other sectors not subject to regulations but with high usage of disposable beverage cups, was conducted. Disposable beverage cups are made of plastics (PE, PP, PS, styrofoam), PLA, and laminated paper. The survey found that of the 3.99 billion disposable beverage cups used in 2020, 2.26 billion were plastic cups. The largest users were beverage shops, street vendors, and breakfast shops, in that order.
The second largest category is laminated paper cups, with an annual usage of 1.61 billion units, with the largest usage in convenience stores, followed by beverage stores, breakfast shops, and on-premises catering. PLA disposable beverage cups, with an annual usage of 130 million units and the lowest usage, are most widely used in on-premises catering.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234445)
