MOENV promotes plastic reduction at Taipei baseball game

2024/09/30

Deputy Minister Shen Chih-hsiu took part in a baseball game Sept. 26 in Taipei City to promote the government’s plastic reduction campaign, the Ministry of Environment said.
 
According to the MOENV, Shen threw the first pitch to start the Chinese Professional Baseball League game between the Wei Chuan Dragons and Uni-President Lions. Taiwan swimmer and Olympian Wang Kuan-hung, who is the ministry’s recycling ambassador, was also present at the ceremony.
 
Shen said the fifth session of the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will take place in late November this year in Busan, South Korea to address plastic pollution, showing that plastic reduction has attained global consensus. As a responsible international community member, Taiwan needs to be part of the worldwide trend.
 
To this end, the MOENV launched a program in July 2022 to offer a NT$5 discount to consumers who bring their own cups to purchase beverages at retail outlets and also implemented a ban earlier this month on single-use plastic cups at beverage shops nationwide. Shen said the initiatives are expected to cut the use of 790 million disposable cups a year.
 
Shen said other similar projects are in the pipeline, including encouraging the public to bring reusable bags or totes for grocery shopping, and a ban on disposable toiletries and bottled water at hotels starting Jan. 1, 2025. These measures will lead to the use of 65 million fewer plastic bags and the reduction of 2,000 tons of plastics.
 
The deputy minister urged participants to be responsible consumers by bringing their own bottles or borrowing reusable cups when attending baseball games and other events. The game also offered environmentally conscious fans free drinks and beverage discounts.


Source:  Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)