The Taoyuan Environmental Protection Department has actively promoted garbage reduction policies and provided a platform for borrowing, returning, cleaning, and distributing recycling cup containers. The goal is to encourage citizens to participate in environmental protection efforts and reduce the environmental load of disposable beverage cups. Consumers can check the collaborating stores on the Environmental Protection Department's official website. According to statistics, cup reusing efforts have reduced the use of disposable beverage cups by 44,000 cups so far, which is equivalent to the height of 17.2 Taipei 101 towers and 1,400 kilograms of carbon emissions.
The reusable cups promoted by Taoyuan City are made of food-grade PP materials and are designed and produced by domestic manufacturers. The cup structure does not contain composite materials, and the service life of each reusable cup can reach up to a thousand times. Once damaged, the cups can be recycled and made into other non-food contact household products, allowing waste to be recycled and reducing the environmental impacts.
Taoyuan City has commissioned Blue Ocean Vision to clean the reusable cups and protect the health and safety of the public. The cleaning procedures are all in compliance with the "TFDA Guidelines for the Cleaning of Food Utensils" formulated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Cleaned cups are sent to SGS for inspection on a regular basis and posted on the website to ensure that they are free of food ingredients and detergent residues. Taoyuan's Department of Public Health also conducts regular audits to ensure the cleaning vendor’s plant hygiene and safety. The reusable cups are cleaned through 5 major steps: strict classification and screening, dynamic soaking and pre-soaking, high-temperature sterilization, full-cup air-knife drying, and quality inspection and control. These steps ensure that the reusable cups are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before each use via high-quality operating procedures and inspection standards.
In addition to cleaning the Environmental Protection Department's reusable cups at the cooperation platform sites and the recycling cups used by Rakuten Monkeys baseball stadium, the professional reusable cup cleaning vendor commissioned by the Environmental Protection Department also partners with FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK, Qburger, TKK Fried Chicken, Cama, Presotea, Let’s cafe plus, and other chain stores to actively control the cleaning quality and meet the cleaning specifications.
Director Shih-Wei Chen of the Environmental Protection Department emphasized that the city government has strictly controlled the cleaning standards to ensure the hygienic quality of reusable cups and protect the health and safety of the public. Citizens are encouraged to actively participate in waste reduction efforts. They can change their buying habits and bring their own environmentally friendly cups or borrow reusable cups when purchasing beverage drinks. They can also get a NT$5 discount while helping to protect the environment.