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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 EPA says support high for straw ban
A man uses a disposable plastic straw in Taipei on Feb. 13 last year. Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
/ Staff writer, with CNA
Most people support the government’s plan to phase out the use of plastic straws over the next 12 years as part of an effort to protect the environment, the Environmental Protection Administration （EPA） said yesterday.
Citing the results of a poll conducted by telephone in November last year, the EPA said 76 percent of respondents backed the policy, while only 3.9 percent were against it.
Similar results were obtained in an online survey also conducted late last year, which showed that 73.7 percent of respondents favored the plan, while 7.5 percent did not, the EPA said.
A ban on plastic straws would be implemented on July 1 in the government sector, and at all public and private schools, department stores, shopping malls and fast food restaurants, according to the EPA’s plan.
If there are no major conflicts regarding the policy, it will be promulgated in April or May before its implementation, Department of Waste Management Director-General Lai Ying-ying （賴瑩瑩） said at a public hearing yesterday.
As an island nation, Taiwan needs to clamp down on the use of disposable items to protect its environment, Lai said, adding that plastic straws are the most common type of trash found on Taiwan’s beaches, along with plastic bags and PET bottles.
There are regulations in place for recycling PET bottles and plastic bags, but the government needs to act now to stop the use of plastic straws, in line with growing international calls for such regulations, she said.
The efforts against the use of plastic straws would be implemented in phases, extending to all food court services by next year, requiring payment by customers from 2025 and a complete ban by 2030, according to the EPA’s plan.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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