Following the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) revision of the "Restrictions on the Use and Implementation of Disposable Tableware" in August of this year, Taipei City took the lead, proposing an implementation date of January 1, 2020. Subsequently, six special municipalities (New Taipei, Taichung, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Tainan) and six non-special municipalities (Penghu, Yilan, Hualien, Changhua, Hsinchu, and Keelung), a total of 12 counties and cities, submitted their respective implementation dates to the EPA, which were subsequently approved and implemented. The EPA explained that this was due to considerations of business scale, operating model, and regional conditions, authorizing each county and city government to set the implementation date, resulting in a nationwide discrepancy. The new law expands the scope of regulation from government departments and schools to department stores, shopping malls, and hypermarkets, stipulating that "disposable tableware of all materials may not be provided for dine-in customers." Department stores and shopping malls will be prohibited from providing disposable tableware starting January 1st. Hypermarkets will follow suit: Yilan and Hualien are the fastest to implement the new regulations. Comparing the 12 counties and cities that have already announced their regulations, eight counties and cities across Taiwan will implement the new regulations for "department stores and shopping malls" on January 1, 2020. These include Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Penghu County, Yilan County, and Hualien County. Kaohsiung City will implement it on March 1st, Hsinchu City on May 1st, and Keelung City the latest, on July 1st. As for the new regulations prohibiting the provision of disposable tableware in hypermarkets, Yilan County and Hualien County are the first to implement them, starting January 1, 2020. Taipei City, New Taipei City, Kaohsiung City, Taoyuan City, and Hsinchu City will implement them on May 1st, while Changhua County will implement them on July 1st. In addition, the environmental protection bureaus of Taichung City and Tainan City both stated that they have completed communication and coordination with hypermarket operators within their jurisdictions and expect to announce implementation on May 1st. Currently, they are still undergoing administrative procedures, meaning that all six major cities will implement the measures simultaneously in May. Kaohsiung will be the last of the six major cities to do so. Nantou, Yunlin, and Hsinchu Counties are still awaiting communication, while Miaoli and Kinmen require further evaluation. Currently, 10 counties and cities, including Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Pingtung County, Taitung County, Kinmen County, Lienchiang County, and Chiayi City, have not yet announced implementation dates. When reporters contacted the local environmental protection bureaus, Chiayi County, Pingtung County, and Taitung County stated that they have completed communication and coordination and are currently undergoing the relevant administrative procedures, expecting to announce implementation soon. Taitung County is expected to announce implementation as early as February 1st, Pingtung County is expected to implement it on March 1st, and Chiayi City is expected to implement it on May 1st. Department stores, shopping malls, and hypermarkets in these three counties and cities will be subject to simultaneous restrictions. In addition, the Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau stated that the new law was drafted rather hastily, and coordination meetings with businesses will begin next year to communicate and seek consensus. The Hsinchu County Environmental Protection Bureau also said that some department stores in its jurisdiction are not yet completed, and it is expected that after completion, discussions will be held with the businesses, and implementation will be announced next year depending on the situation. Yunlin County is also still in the communication and coordination stage, and the Environmental Protection Bureau stated that it will process the matter as soon as possible and announce its implementation early. It is understood that many businesses had already stopped using disposable tableware before the new law was announced, so they can quickly comply after the new law comes into effect. Some counties and cities "have no department stores or hypermarkets" so the new plastic restriction law is temporarily useless. However, some counties and cities believe that there are not many businesses in their jurisdiction, and there is currently no need for the new law to regulate them. Tsai Cheng-hsun, secretary of the Miaoli County Environmental Protection Bureau, said that only three businesses in Miaoli County are included in the scope of the newly added regulations. "Among them, Carrefour and RT-Mart have long cooperated with the policy of limiting the use of disposable tableware. Whether they have actually implemented the reduction of plastic is more important than the law." He said that in the future, the need for mandatory regulations will be assessed based on demand. The Kinmen County Environmental Protection Bureau stated that it only has one department store, Jinhu Plaza, within its jurisdiction, and only one food service establishment inside. "Basically, the business is willing to reduce the use of disposable tableware, so there's no need to formulate further regulations." Lienchiang County and Chiayi County also stated that they do not have any department stores, shopping malls, or hypermarkets within their jurisdictions, therefore, the plastic restriction law is not currently necessary. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) stated that the new regulations require businesses to cooperate in installing washing equipment, thus requiring adaptation to local conditions. The EPA hopes that county and city governments will fully discuss and communicate with businesses to ensure the regulations can be implemented smoothly. "If violations are found during inspections after the announced implementation date, fines will be imposed directly, requiring businesses to improve as soon as possible; there will be no warning period." In addition to emphasizing that inspections will be strengthened after implementation, the EPA also appealed to even non-regulated food service establishments to proactively switch to rewashable tableware for dine-in customers. The public is also encouraged to bring their own tableware to contribute to the planet's conservation efforts. Source: Environmental Information Center (2019/12/31)
