From 2025, hotels in Taiwan would be restricted from supplying single-use toiletries unless they are specifically requested, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Monday.
Under the new guidelines, which the EPA announced on its Web site, liquid toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion would have to be provided in bottles with a volume of at least 180ml.
Meanwhile, disposable items such as combs, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste and shower caps would no longer be offered in guests’ rooms, although hotels would be allowed to provide them on request, the EPA said.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau via CNA
The regulations would not apply to hotel facilities outside of guest rooms, such as spas or swimming pools, the agency said.
The EPA reviewed the new regulations in January and initially said that stage one of the plan would be implemented on July 1, which did not happen.
The implementation date was changed to Jan. 1, 2025, to give the estimated 14,500 affected hotels, bed and breakfast facilities and catered campsites enough time to adapt, Wang Yueh-pin (王嶽斌), executive secretary of the EPA’s Recycling Fund Management Board, said in an interview on Monday.
By mandating the use of larger, reusable bottles for toiletries in hotels, the EPA estimated that plastic waste from smaller, disposable bottles could be cut by about 2,100 tonnes per year.
Hotels found contravening the rules would face a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, with the possibility of further penalties if no improvements are made, the EPA said.
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