Taiwan Goes to a 'Plastic-Free Society'

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Drink in disposable plastic cups will not be available in Taiwan's beverage stores in the country of bubble tea.

This is because the Taiwanese government has implemented measures aimed at a "plastic-free society" to solve the serious marine pollution problem.

Reporter Kang Ho-yeon, Taiwan Situation, who is taking steps toward a plastic-free world, reported.

[Reporter]
People who enjoy cold drinks in stores and takeaway people,

Everyone has the same paper cup in their hands.

Taiwan's environment ministry began a policy banning disposable cups for beverage outlets across Taiwan in September,
The
store provided paper cups or encouraged customers to bring tumblers.

[Cheon I-Loon / Taipei: It's not uncomfortable to carry a tumbler. There is also a growing recognition that it is important to reduce plastic use. It's convenient because there are many light tumblers.]

In 2021, the proportion of plastic among Taiwan's marine waste was about 92.8%,

Plastic is considered the main cause of marine pollution, with statistics showing that about 78.9% of them are disposable packaging.

Due to the nature of the island country, the marine ecosystem is important, and after a series of such statistics were reported, the Taiwanese government is focusing more on eradicating plastic.

Thanks to this, plastic replacements are naturally permeating the lives of ordinary citizens.

In marts where free plastic bags have been suspended, it has become a common landscape to put purchases in eco-bags.

[Xu Meihong / Taipei: If you buy a lot of plastic bags, it becomes trash anyway, so I don't think you need to pay to buy trash. Eco-bags are better because they can be used for a long time.]

Recycling has become a habit now that convenience store visitors can easily put empty plastic bottles into the empty bottle collection machine in front of the store.

[Hwang Jianxi / Taipei: If you put in a bottle, you can get a refund as a point. You can get a refund of 4 yuan for 6 bottles. I wanted children to learn how to recover resources and protect the environment, so I tried using the machine together.

The Taiwanese government plans to gradually improve regulations and systems aimed at a zero-plastic society by 2030.

However, the pervasive use of plastic bags in markets and street stores remains a challenge to address.

I'm Kang Ho-yeon from YTN World in Taipei, Taiwan.