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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

#101

Post by craftyguy »

fvdessen wrote: post #84
hannob wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> From what I understand plastic waste is usually burned for electricity or heat in industrial processes, Except for the ones that end up in the ocean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch

The plastic that ends up in the ocean comes from places & countries that have no waste management at all besides dumping garbage directly in rivers and the ocean. I doubt that's the case for Taiwan.

I was in Taiwan a couple years ago doing a beach cleanup, plastics (bags, etc) most definitely make it into the water there.

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

#102

Post by greeneggs »

bluGill wrote: post #51
mbid wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question: How many plastic straws do you have to save to offset the CO2 cost of building a steel straw? Also, are paper straws really better, CO2-wise?

Don't forget the cost of all the carbon burned to heat the water each time you wash the reusable straw. As the other poster said, this is very hard to calculate.

Perhaps it is hard to calculate exactly, but it is fairly obvious that a reusable steel straw is going to have an environmental impact over one's lifetime that is orders of magnitude worse than using disposable plastic straws.

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

#103

Post by debt »

I find it hilarious that California is attempting to pass similar legislation with about a ~$2 billion price tag yet there’s people living in tent cities from Oakland to San Francisco down to LA with San Diego actually building a tent housing complex in a a parking lot.

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

#104

Post by emiliobumachar »

adamio wrote: post #64

There's claims the plastic ban bag in San Diego led to a Hepatitis outbreak https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/sep/08/stringers-pl...

Very informative piece. Key excerpts:

"Homeless people learned long ago that pooping in plastic-bag-lined containers meant you could wrap the session up and dispose of all the stuff without touching it, he said in a long email. So when it got harder to get the bags after the ban went into effect late last year, it became harder to find the bags and people who were able to keep things clean had to work a lot harder."

"Hepatitis A is spread by contact with feces or blood of an infected person. It can be trace amounts and it can be months old"

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

#105

Post by nmeofthestate »

fvdessen wrote: post #74

What is the rationale ? Are disposable plastic bags really that much worse than reusable / paper bags ? From what I understand plastic waste is usually burned for electricity or heat in industrial processes, and it's not that much worse than natural gas.

The argument seems to be that plastic bags are bad for generating litter. Also there will be a general feel-good argument that plastic is bad so banning bags is good. It's good to feel good as the planet fails to deal with serious environmental issues like global warming. Stuff like this lets politicians court the green vote with measures that are relatively deliverable, and they probably sincerely feel it is making a difference.

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

#107

Post by kristofferR »

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.)

Am I the only one who slightly squeeze my straws with my teeth and mouth? A vegan restaurant I know has metal straws and it's so incredibly uncomfortable that I'm avoiding buying drinks with straws there.

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

#108

Post by desireco42 »

AlwaysRock wrote: post #28
technofiend wrote: post #10

The UK dropped to 500 million bags annually used from 7 billion after introduction of a 5 pence per bag charge. That's just one country albeit one of the world's largest. Still I think we're over due for much more agressive action. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/30/england-...

Chicago started charging 7 cent a bag and that certainly made me think twice about my bag use.

Suddenly this 7 cents are the biggest expense and everyone remembers to bring their bag, which is awesome because effects are great.

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

#109

Post by dluan »

leetcrew wrote: post #94
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…

paper straws really suck, please don't let them be the solution.

sounds like they'd be great then.
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