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Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

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Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#11

Post by moccachino »

randomerr wrote: post #8

The Law of Unintended Consequences will: * Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods * Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods that use plastic because the aforementioned companies no longer exist or are importing products * Put pressure on manufactures to use alternate materials (bamboo and glass most likely) causing shortages and rising cost This in the long run is going to…

All the examples you mentioned are preferable to the status quo, with the exception of the NYC soda size cap which is ridiculous (ban the substance or put a limit on the allowable amount in a serving, don't arbitrarily pick a container size and ban it).

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#12

Post by e1ven »

oldcynic wrote: post #4

12 years? 12 months seems plenty. It's not like they need decades of research to reintroduce paper straws, paper bags and reusable bags. Edit: I'm confused now. "As of next year, food and beverage stores such as fast food chains must stop providing plastic straws for in-store use. From 2020, free plastic straws will be banned from all food and beverage outlets. From 2025, the public will have to pay for takeaway plas…

The way I read it is that they’ll first ban plastic straws at sit down places, then charge extra for plastic straws for takeout, then ban plastic straws for takeout as well as sit down dining.

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#14

Post by Luc »

oldcynic wrote: post #4

12 years? 12 months seems plenty. It's not like they need decades of research to reintroduce paper straws, paper bags and reusable bags. Edit: I'm confused now. "As of next year, food and beverage stores such as fast food chains must stop providing plastic straws for in-store use. From 2020, free plastic straws will be banned from all food and beverage outlets. From 2025, the public will have to pay for takeaway plas…

Plastic straws for takeaway can remain free until 2025. For in-store use they can remain free until 2020.

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#15

Post by oldcynic »

randomerr wrote: post #8

The Law of Unintended Consequences will: * Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods * Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods that use plastic because the aforementioned companies no longer exist or are importing products * Put pressure on manufactures to use alternate materials (bamboo and glass most likely) causing shortages and rising cost This in the long run is going to…

> Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods

Tough. Don't go into business ruining the environment. Similar closures would have happened in asbestos, coal, tetraethyl lead additives and plenty of other things we've discovered are a very bad idea.

> Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods

That's quite a leap - do you have a source?

Scotland is banning all plastic straws from end of next year. I sincerely doubt there is going to be a black market as a result.

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#16

Post by loverofthings »

randomerr wrote: post #8

The Law of Unintended Consequences will: * Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods * Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods that use plastic because the aforementioned companies no longer exist or are importing products * Put pressure on manufactures to use alternate materials (bamboo and glass most likely) causing shortages and rising cost This in the long run is going to…

Maybe plastic waste in the long run imposes a bigger cost?

Just like overconsumption of cigarettes, alcohol etc. imposes a much bigger cost in the long run (in welfare countries).

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#17

Post by electriclove »

rubenbe wrote: post #6

I recently bought a set of reusable stainless steel straws. They were expensive, but have a timeless "design" and have a build quality that gives the impression they will last a lifetime. When dirty I throw them in the dishwasher with the other cutleries. They don't take any space in the washer so cleaning them is essentially "free". (Making abstraction of the ecological cost of a dishwasher.)

Do you have a link to the product you purchased?

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#18

Post by emodendroket »

randomerr wrote: post #8

The Law of Unintended Consequences will: * Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods * Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods that use plastic because the aforementioned companies no longer exist or are importing products * Put pressure on manufactures to use alternate materials (bamboo and glass most likely) causing shortages and rising cost This in the long run is going to…

Well, that tears it. Let's never regulate anything because it has unintended consequences.

I highly doubt people are going to travel out of Taiwan (which is an island, making this inconvenient) or establish a "black market" just so they can have single-use plastic straws.

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#19

Post by talideon »

randomerr wrote: post #8

The Law of Unintended Consequences will: * Put companies out of business that produce or import said goods * Reducing availability and increasing cost of medical goods that use plastic because the aforementioned companies no longer exist or are importing products * Put pressure on manufactures to use alternate materials (bamboo and glass most likely) causing shortages and rising cost This in the long run is going to…

...except none of that happens.

Ireland was, IIRC, the first country to introduce a bag levy. In spite of some gnashing of teeth, the world didn't fall apart, companies didn't go out of business (in fact, they started producing reusable bags), and the result was a net positive that we didn't have a plague of plastic bags blowing around the place. People got into the habit of keeping a set of reusable bags in their car or close at hand.

The same story has been repeated wherever such a levy has been introduced.

Re: Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

#20

Post by Quenty »

ragtag2 wrote: post #7
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #2

I understand the need to change approaches and for companies to move to other manufacturing, etc., but 12 years?? Two years seems about right? I always wonder when there's a long implementation period before requirements take hold if that's a politician making sure they don't have to handle the fallout but can still wallow in the glory.

You don't mess with the Taiwanese bubble tea. Seriously, they use one hell of a lot of plastic crap in Taiwan for takeouts but a lot of people also carry their own utensils, for various reasons. Agree, 2 years should be plenty. I'd stretch to 5 but in 12 we'll all be drowning in the stuff.

Ah, this is why carry out is allowed to have plastic for an extra 5 years.
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