Staff writer, with CNASingle-use plastic straws will no longer be available at a wide range of venues in Taiwan from Monday as part of a government effort to limit ocean pollution, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Wednesday. First-time violators will not be punished, but if they breach the regulations again, they would face a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, the EPA said. Take-out and delivery orders can still include plastic straws, it said. On July 1 last year, Taiwan banned the production and import of personal care products containing plastic microbeads. Fast-food chain KFC stopped offering plastic straws at its restaurants in Taiwan on June 11, while McDonald’s banned plastic straws at its outlets in Taipei on April 22 and said that its restaurants nationwide would follow suit by the end of this month.

Source: Taipei Times June 27, 2019 16:04 UTC