Taiwan’s single-use plastic cups ban to be finalized in September

TAIWAN – The Ministry of Environment announced that, starting in September, drink shops will no longer be allowed to provide single-use plastic cups to customers.

This move is estimated to eliminate 790 million disposable plastic cups annually across the island.

Beverage shops in 21 cities and counties have already stopped using single-use takeaway plastic cups since the implementation of the “Parties Subject to and Means for Single-use Takeaway Beverage Cups Restrictions” on July 1, 2022.

These rules ban single-use plastic cups, require shops to offer reusable cups for borrowing, and mandate a rebate of at least NT$5 for customers who bring their reusable cups.

Starting in September, Kinmen County will also prohibit single-use plastic cups, making the ban nationwide.

Ministry data indicates that the regulations have reduced the use of single-use beverage cups by 17% since July 2022, replacing about 790 million single-use plastic cups with reusable or non-plastic alternatives.

As of last year, 1,763 retail stores and restaurants from seven large convenience stores and eight fast food chains provided reusable cups, accounting for 12% of all their retail sales venues. These establishments offered 198,000 reusable cups for customers to borrow.

The ministry noted that, according to data from convenience stores and fast-food chain operators, 160 million drinks were sold using consumers’ cups last year.

This represents a 2.8-fold increase in the percentage of customers who brought their cups compared to before the regulations were implemented. “This shows how government policy has changed consumer habits,” the ministry stated.

To further reduce the use of single-use plastic cups, the ministry is considering subsidizing reusable cups at professional baseball games and other enclosed venues.

The aim is to allow those who have not yet used reusable cups to try them, hoping they will consider using them again.

The ministry has also established guidelines for operators offering reusable cups, which cover borrowing, returning, cleaning, inspecting reusable cups, and communication with consumers.

“The quality of reusable cup services must be consistent, and business operators who offer the service must submit a report on hygiene inspection results every six months,” the ministry emphasized, adding that no operator failed the hygiene inspection last year.

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