The Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP) has reached the three-year milestone for its “Eco-Friendly Delivery Program.” Launched to resolve nearby dining limitations for staff following TYDEP’s relocation to the old judicial park on Fazhi Road, the pilot reusable tableware delivery and return system has successfully established a highly replicable zero-waste model.
TYDEP reported that the program has eliminated 20,000 single-use meal boxes—equivalent in height to 2.5 Taipei 101 skyscrapers—and cut cumulative carbon emissions by 9,870 kilograms of CO₂e, while expanding its network past 150 partner stores. Driven by high staff adoption due to diverse menus and skip-the-line office delivery, participating businesses have integrated the system into their operations. Some now provide reusable container counters and consumer discounts, while others reinvest packaging savings into complimentary portion upgrades, snacks, exclusive menus, or nutritionally balanced “211 meal boxes.” Some merchants have creatively repurposed uniform reusable cups to serve afternoon snacks like roasted corn.
To ensure seamless logistics, TYDEP implemented standard operating procedures using consecutive-number preparation and box-coded distribution. This system secures precise container tracking and accountability, optimizing retrieval workflows for large-scale conference and group orders. TYDEP also assists businesses by establishing drop-off points and optimizing return logistics, while backing incentives like exclusive menus, discounts, or free portion upgrades to strengthen long-term merchant engagement.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), behavioral shifts in daily life can reduce global carbon emissions by approximately 8%. TYDEP noted that this initiative proves small-scale, operational changes can accumulate into substantial environmental milestones. Moving forward, TYDEP will expand its merchant network and merge the program with citizen-facing green consumer campaigns to propel Taoyuan toward a net-zero circular economy.
Official directories are available at https://gov.tw/1Rr for citywide reusable container merchants and https://gov.tw/rcy for program partners.