國立教育廣播電臺

Hope:

Joey, do you bring your own water bottle and tableware when you go out?

Joey:

Yes, I do. Why?

Hope:

Well, I am reading a piece of news reporting some new policies about the use of the plastic cups and straws in Taiwan.

The government now require the beverage vendors (飲料店), convenience stores (便利超商),  supermarkets (超市),

night markets, public or private markets (公有或私人賣場) to stop providing disposable plastic cups or single-use cups.

Joey:

Disposable cups 是指免洗杯嗎?

Hope:

Yes. It is also called single-use plastic cups. And now even the PLA containers are forbidden from August 1.

Many cities have put the policy into practice.

Joey:

PLA? What is that?

Hope:

PLA is Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (聚乳酸). It is made of plant fibers, such as sugar cane and straw, etc.

It is a material that is biodegradable. 它是生物可分解塑膠.

Joey:

But why should we stop using this kind of cups?

Hope:

I think it is hard to tell PLA cups from other Styrofoam cups (保麗龍杯) and it still takes time to degrade it. 它的分解仍需要時間。

Joey:

That is why I bring my own cup and tableware when I go buy my drinks and meals.

Hope:

Good for you. Here it also says, for those sellers that contravene the policy would be fined

NT$1,200 to NT$6,000 under the Waste Disposal Act. (廢棄物處理法)

Joey:

Contravene 是違法嗎?

Hope:

Yes. Contravene the policy 違反政策. And to be fined 是罰款.

Joey:

I see. 千萬不要跟錢過不去。

Hope:

Yes. This is hard work. But if we care about our environment, this is at least something we can do.

Joey:

Totally agree.