PLASTIC BAG USE OUTLAWED IN 14 TYPES OF RETAIL, INCL. BREAD|擴大禁用免費塑膠袋 藥局.麵包店全納管

The Environmental Protection Administration said that starting from 2017, it will ban 7 more types businesses, such as pharmacies, bakeries, and medical device stores, from offering consumers free plastic bags. Plastic companies are unhappy with the new policy, saying that the government means to wipe them out from Taiwan. Since 2002, the EPA has implemented a policy which banned 7 businesses, such as department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores, from offering consumers free plastic bags. After 15 years, the EPA now plans to include 7 more businesses, affecting 90,000 stores in total. Pharmacies, bakeries, and medical supply stores are all on the list. The EPA will also revoke the regulation of providing plastic bags thinner than 0.06cm free, meaning that no plastic bags will be free. ==EPA representative== This time, many retail stores will be on the list. If these stores continue to provide plastic bags thinner than 0.06cm free, it may cause more plastic waste. On Dec 13, the EPA held a public hearing. Plastic companies said that 90 percent of plastic bags were used to be sold inside the country, but now 70 percent are sold to Japan. The new restriction on plastic bags will make it harder for the plastic industry to survive. ==CHOU BAI-CHING, plastic company chairman== The DPP really puts a great emphasis on environmental protection. Does it mean that the DPP means to let all plastic companies who survived the previous policy on plastic bags die now? Environmental groups believe that the EPA's regulations should be stricter. They said that cosmetic shops should also be included since pharmacy stores are listed. Moreover, biodegradable plastic bags should be curbed as well. ==YEN NING, Greenpeace project manager== Although these plastic bags are known as "biodegradable", it is still unknown to what degree they are able to degrade in the environment. Since there are doubts about these plastic bags, they should not be provided free. Environmental groups said that the government should raise the price of plastic bags, so as to urge people to use less. However, some believe it will only create suspicion about profiting certain companies. Plastic companies said that replacing plastic bags with paper bags does little to help protect the environment because many trees will be cut down for this purpose. Therefore, solely limiting the use of plastic bags is unfair. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 環保署從民國91年推動包括百貨公司、量販店、便利商店等7大類業者，不得免費提供購物塑膠袋，相隔15年，環保署預告要從7大類擴及14大類，包括藥局藥妝店、麵包店、醫療器材、共納管9萬家業者，並且取消塑膠袋厚度0.06公釐的規定。 ==環保署代表== 那我們這次管到的對象 有很多是小小的零售業 那我們覺得如果我們 再規定厚度的這件事情 可能會造成更多的 塑膠資源的浪費 下午環保署舉辦北區公聽會，塑膠袋業者指出，以前90%的塑膠袋都內銷，現在70%都外銷日本，兩次限塑政策推動下來，根本是要讓這個行業無法存活。 ==塑膠公司董事長 周百卿== 民進黨是非常非常重視環保 還是說以前(一次限塑) 這些業者沒有打死的話 這一次全就要讓他死掉 不過環保團體卻認為環保署還管得不夠嚴，有人提出既然都管了藥局跟藥妝連鎖店，為何獨漏美妝店，另外也有團體要求，標榜生物可分解塑膠袋也要納入。 ==綠色和平專案主任 顏寧== 雖然這些塑膠 它號稱是生物可分解 但是在環境中到底可以 分解到什麼樣的程度 可能在目前還是有一些疑慮 不應該免費提供 環保團體認為應該提高塑膠袋販售價格，民眾有感才會減量，不過也有人質疑塑膠袋賣太貴，有政策圖利業者的嫌疑，另外也有塑膠業者不滿，商店若不用塑膠袋改用紙袋來，一樣是要砍伐森林、破壞環境，只限制塑膠袋使用、相當不公平。 記者 林靜梅 王興中 台北報導