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Taipei to ban single-use tableware in municipal units

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Taipei to ban single-use tableware in municipal units

Taipei to ban single-use tableware in schools

Single-use tableware and bottled water will be prohibited at 228 schools in Taipei City from August 1, Taipei City Government said, estimating to save 12.94 million units of tableware a year, equivalent of the height of 890 Taipei 101 if all the saved tableware units were stacked up.

Taipei Mayor Ke Wen-je has been pressing for a ban on using single-use and Melamine tableware and bottled water since he took office. Therefore, the city government promulgated the enforcement guidelines for banning the use of single-use and Melamine tableware in Taipei City Government on August 26, 2015, which have been enforced in Taipei City Hall since April 1 this year.

Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Ching-jun announced at a press conference that beginning on August 1, the ban on the use of single-use and Melamine tableware will be comprehensively enforced in all municipal units, including district offices, all Taipei City Hospital branches, the zoo, and all 282 public and private elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools in the city.

The city’s Department of Education said all the schools will use tableware made of environment-friendly materials such as stainless steel, pottery and porcelain, which can be repeatedly cleaned and used. These schools will not use single-use tableware made of plastics, paper, bamboo, wood and Melamine materials, and sales of bottled water will be banned on the campuses, the department said.

The department added it hopes to change the public’s consuming habits by making changes on the campuses first. It said hopefully these changes will introduce the good habits of bringing dining utensils and drinking water containers into people’s life.