Nine colleges in Taipei ban single-use, melamine dinnerware for environmental and health concerns

台北九所大學禁用一次性及美耐皿餐具響應環境和健康問題

A total of fifty eateries in nine colleges in Taipei City have started to serve meals in reusable tableware for eat-in orders


TAIPEI (Taiwan News)-- A total of fifty eateries in nine colleges in Taipei City have started to serve meals in reusable tableware for eat-in orders, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said on March 22 during a ceremony to present awards to these colleges for following the city’s lead to switch from disposable to sustainable utensils..

The initiative of the colleges costs NTD 1,250,000 and will benefit 5,000 students and faculty members on a daily basis, according to the mayor.

Students are among the most inclined to dine out. However, with most student cafeterias in colleges still using disposable and melamine utensils, a significant amount of waste can be generated, according to Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection.

To promote healthy and safe eating on campus, the agency encourages college dining facilities to adopt reusable tableware.

The mayor remarked that since the ban on the use of single-use and melamine utensils in the City Hall on April 1, 2016, a decreased amount of waste in the building has been observed. As of February, the city government has seen the reduction of paper packaging waste by 82% and plastic waste by 68%, Ko added.

The implementation approach is to start from the inside and expand outward, beginning from the public sector and spreading the practice across all sectors, the mayor said, adding that so far, fifteen enterprises have joined the ranks of policy supporters.