No more single-use plastic cups at Taiwan's drink shops from September

Taipei, July 29 (CNA) Drink shops in Taiwan will no longer provide single-use plastic cups to customers beginning in September, according to the Ministry of Environment (MOENV).

In a news release Monday, the MOENV said this measure would lead to 790 million fewer disposable plastic cups being used nationwide each year.

Drink shops will still be able to offer single-use cups made of other materials, such as paper.

Outlying Kinmen will be the last of Taiwan's 22 cities and counties to ban single-use plastic cups starting Sept. 1, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, single-use plastic cup use has already decreased by 17 percent across Taiwan.

In December 2022, Taipei became the first municipality in Taiwan to ban drinks shops from providing single-use plastic cups. Similar bans took effect in New Taipei in May 2023 and Taichung in October that same year.

Meanwhile, besides continuing to promote its existing reusable cup rental program, the MOENV said it is also considering allowing organizers of professional baseball games and other closed-door events to apply for subsidies.

This will allow more people to experience using the reusable cup service when buying drinks in the future, the ministry said.

The cup rental program unveiled last year by the MOENV targeting convenience stores and fast food chains allows people to borrow reusable cups from kiosks at participating locations. People can return the cup to any kiosk for cleaning when they are done using it within three days.

According to the ministry, the subsidies range from NT$300,000 (US$9,129) to NT$3 million per operator, depending on the number of participating locations.

According to ministry statistics, 1,763 convenience stores and fast food chains nationwide participated in the program to provide about 198,000 reusable cups for borrowing in 2023.

Meanwhile, the ministry also released a service guideline regulating materials, labeling, recycling, cleaning and inspection for the rental cups.