The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday said it “raises both hands in favor” of a proposed ban on polystyrene cups and urged the public to support businesses that have implemented sustainable practices.
The proposed ban, announced on Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to take effect in July next year.
The measure also mandates chain beverage stores, fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to provide a discount to customers who bring their own containers.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers Foundation via CNA
Many shops, mostly in central and southern Taiwan, continue to use polystyrene cups as they are large, light, versatile and cheap to produce, despite being difficult to recycle and slow to decompose.
The foundation said it supports the policy, despite it being expected to raise operational costs.
Even if prices increase as a result, “it is a cost consumers should and could be able to afford to protect the environment,” it said.
It also urged consumers to not wait until it is legally required to start using reusable containers and to choose businesses that support sustainability.
Taiwan’s takeaway drink industry is substantial, accounting for NT$97.8 billion (US$3.52 billion) in sales last year and NT$74.1 billion in the first 10 months of this year, Ministry of Economic Affairs statistics showed.
With the average price of a drink being NT$50, Taiwanese are estimated to have consumed about 1.96 billion cups last year, producing a consequential amount of waste, foundation secretary-general Hsu Tse-yu (徐則鈺) said.
Efforts by the government to ban polystyrene foam containers began in 2013, but is only now coming to fruition after running into business reluctance and legal obstacles, Hsu said.
Only Taichung bans polystyrene, although foundation volunteers have reportedly been served with foam cups in the city.
Polystyrene foam could pose a health risk in the long term, as it releases carcinogenic substances when exposed to heat, said Mai Fu-der (麥富德), a professor at Taipei Medical University who is a board member at the foundation.
Dyes or plasticizers added to some products could also release carcinogens, he added.
As it takes a long time to break down and has low value to recyclers, polystyrene foam is rarely reused, and often finds its way into the ocean and sometimes the food chain, posing serious risks to the environment and human health, Mai said.
However, some businesses raised concern over the mandatory discount of NT$5 per customer.
Beverage chain Ching Shin Fu Chuan (清心福全) appealed for more flexibility, saying the uniform discount might make it difficult to cover material and labor costs for some cheaper menu items.
Foundation chairman Terry Huang (黃怡騰) instead suggested a “carrot-and-stick” approach by using incentives and increasing costs for plastic cups.
Carrefour and A-Mart said that they have mostly phased out polystyrene packaging, except for a limited amount of imported fruits and seafood requiring temperature or bruise protection.
Pxmart also said it has almost entirely switched to recyclable materials and has been striving to further reduce plastics.
Additional reporting by Yang Ya-min
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