Taipei to soon charge for disposable tableware at designated venues

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Businesses operating at Taipei government agencies and schools and city venues run by outside contractors will be required to charge for disposable tableware, including cutlery and containers, starting from July 22, 2025.

A fee of at least NT$1 (US$0.03) will be charged for each disposable container, plate, set of chopsticks, or spoon in the roughly 280 designated venues to limit the quantity of waste generated, the city government said in a statement Monday.

It estimated that the measure will cut the use of disposable tableware items by 27 million pieces per year.

The city's Department of Environmental Protection said the restriction will be carried out in stages, starting with public spaces and then moving to private operators of food services, to comply with a city ordinance passed in July 2024 on net-zero emissions management.

The city began in 2020 to charge fees for and recycle disposable tableware for takeouts at 119 of the city venues run by contractors that provide such services to encourage use of reusable tableware, the department said.

Many public and private operators have joined in the initiative, and by strengthening plastic and waste-reducing policies, the city hopes people will be encouraged to prepare their own cutlery and containers, it said.

The department previously promoted restrictions on the use of melamine resin tableware in 2016.

As of 2024, a total of 902 venues, including 38 markets, 13 night markets, 29 universities, 27 central government agencies, 119 outsourced venues, 53 department stores, 16 wholesale markets and 607 firms have joined in, the department said.

Melamine is not heat-resistant and releases harmful chemicals when heated, according to the city.