New Taipei to ban single-use plastic cups from May 1

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The New Taipei City Environmental Protection Bureau has been planning to implement the ban on single-use plastic cups since last year.

Officials have communicated with beverage industry operators in the region multiple times to understand their inventory of plastic cups and the availability of alternative paper cups.

According to the bureau, the beverage industry operators are willing to cooperate with the plastic reduction policy. The policy could help cut the use of over 368 million plastic cups in one year. 

The bureau will continue to promote the policy before its implementation and urges operators to comply to avoid penalties. 

Violators will be fined a penalty of NT＄1,200 to NT＄6,000 per the Waste Disposal Act, and if they fail to make improvements within a specified period, they may face continuous daily penalties.