EPA Announces Amendment to “Objects and Means of Restricting the Use of Disposable Tableware”

To continue the promotion of bringing your own tableware and using the reusable cutlery to reduce the use of disposable tableware, Environmental Protection Administration has announced the amendment on August 8, 2019, to “Objects and Means of Restricting the Use of Disposable Tableware,” adding the new regulation that department stores, shopping malls, and hyper markets shall not provide any single-use disposable tableware made of various materials for dine-in consumers. Besides, considering the practical situation of the business scales, management styles, and areas, it also rules that the local competent authority shall collect the public opinions depending on the situation of its area to report the implementation date of each industry to the central government, and the central governing authorities shall make announcements for implementation after approval. The violators will be fined NT$1,200 to NT$6,000 based on Article 51-3 of Waste Disposal Act.
Reducing plastic is the international trend. The 170 countries in the 4th UN Environment Assembly have pledged to significantly reduce single-use of plastic products by 2030. EU has also planned to ban single-use plastic cutlery in 2021 including forks, knives, spoons, and chopsticks. G20 at Osaka Summit has passed “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050. To change the public’s habits, EPA starts the control from the dine-in environment, where “it is not necessary to use disposable tableware” to gradually help the public and businesses adapt to the new regulation.
EPA further calls on the food and beverage businesses in the counties and cities that have announced and implemented the regulations shall conform to the limitation on disposable tableware. Besides, other food and beverage businesses can also actively change the dine-in tableware into the reusable cutlery. The citizens can also bring their own tableware to respond to the eco new life.
For more details of the announcements, please refer to Recent Issues, EPA website, and download the attached files. (https://enews.epa.gov.tw/enews/fact_index.asp). The information will also be posted on “Laws and Regulations,” EPA website (https://oaout.epa.gov.tw/law/), three days after the publication and on The Executive Yuan Gazette Online, (https://gazette.nat.gov.tw/egFront/). Welcome to visit the websites for more information.