A little more than a month after launching an “own-cup policy,” the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday said the number of people using their own beverage containers when purchasing a beverage had risen to 4.4 percent.
Under the policy introduced on May 1, fast-food chains, convenience stores and beverage shops have been encouraged to offer discounts or top-ups to customers who bring their own cup rather than the disposable cups provided by the stores.
“An average of 1.5 billion disposable cups are used annually [in Taiwan],” said Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩), deputy director of the EPA’s Department of Waste Management. “We hope to cut the number of disposable cups used by at least 30 percent, which would save up to 450 million cups per year, the equivalent of 110,000 trees.”
The EPA said 271 companies, with a total of 16,757 stores, have embraced the policy. Just over 90 percent are offering cash discounts to cup-bringers, 9.2 percent offer points cards that can be redeemed for discounts and the rest provided bigger drinks for the same price.
Discounts ranged from NT$10 per beverage to one point for each cup purchased redeemable for one free beverage after accumulating 10 points.
The EPA said 720 of the 8,808 stores visited before Sunday had violated the policy and been warned that they could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 if they failed to implement changes. Among the violations was the failure to offer discounts as advertised and improper advertising of the promotion, such as using fonts that were too small.
Kuo Hsiu-Ling (郭秀玲), deputy director of the Department of Supervision, Evaluation and Dispute Resolution, said the EPA controlled the quality and safety of reusable cups by only giving “green mark” certification to cups that were safe, reusable and recyclable.
The use of polyvinyl chloride, bisphenol A and phthalates (commonly used as plasticizers) as well as heavy metals are prohibited in “green mark” items, she said.
The EPA said customers should purchase hot beverages using containers made with stainless steel or plastic materials that have better heat resistance, such as containers that are labeled No. 5 (polypropylene) in the plastic classification codes.
Data published by the Japan Plastics Industry Federation shows that polypropylene is heat-resistant at temperatures up to 140°C. A table listing the plastic classification codes and their usages attributes and heat resistance of commonly used plastics are available on the Department of Health’s Web site.
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