After plastic straws are used, they are discarded in the environment where they break down into small plastic pieces or are ingested by animals. The ingested plastic can absorb toxins in the environment, and then accumulate and be consumed by animals higher up in the food chain. The draft stipulates that the following 4 categories of businesses (roughly 8,000 businesses in total) will be prohibited to provide single-use straws for customers dining in-store: public sector entities, public and private schools, department stores, and shopping malls.
The EPA plans to expand the control targets to include other kinds of businesses in the food and beverage industry by 2020. Furthermore, the EPA During the past 25 years, with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan, the EPA has established an excellent partnership with the USEPA. The meeting not only advanced Taiwan’s global cooperation in environmental education, but also served to implement the New Southbound Policy, and was an accomplishment in the overall development of global environmental education. The participants of the Global Environmental Education Partnership meeting also aims to formulate control measures for take-out customers by 2025 at the latest. However, the EPA urges businesses to take early action by not providing plastic straws unless customers request them. The general public is also encouraged to prepare their own reusable straws to reduce plastic pollution and waste of resources. In addition, the plastic straws attached to drinks in Tetra Pak packaging are also being considered to be put on the control list. The evaluation will be carefully made after considering past experiences from other countries and gathering of public opinion.
- Environmental Protection Administration, R.O.C.(Taiwan)