This Plan was implemented over the period from February 25, 2016 to December 31, 2016. The main objectives of the Plan were to study and analyze the management of heavy metals and hazardous substances in everyday household goods, and to formulate measures for source reduction, while also continuing to implement existing source reduction measures targeting heavy metals in municipal waste, plastics and single-use products. The main results achieved were as follows: (1) On the basis of the collation of municipal waste incinerator plant data, preliminary findings were obtained indicating that, as paper and plastics account for a large share of municipal waste, and as these are generally processed or printed products, paper and plastics may constitute the main source of heavy metals in municipal waste; however, further analysis will be needed to properly evaluate this finding. (2) Assistance was provided for the formulation of ancillary measures in relation to controls on button cell batteries pursuant to the revised public announcement regarding the “Restrictions on the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Dry Cell Batteries”; an application review system was established with respect to the documents required to verify mercury and cadmium content; the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs was asked to make additions to the regulations governing importation of goods; four presentations were held, etc. Statistics showed that, over the period July – November 2016, the environmental protection departments of individual county and city governments issued documents verifying the mercury and cadmium content of a total of 169 button cell battery models, thereby ensuring that it will be possible to achieve smooth implementation once the new regulations formally come into effect on January 1, 2017. (3) Assistance was provided for the formulation of the draft public announcement regarding “Restrictions on the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Personal Care and Cosmetics Products Containing Plastic Microbeads,” the formulation of the draft version of the revised public announcement regarding “Enforcement Method and Scheduled Dates for Restricted Use of Plastic Shopping Bags,” and the formulation of the draft version of the revised “Principles for the Implementation of the Restrictions on the Use of Plastic Trays and Packaging and Related Auditing Operations,” in addition to collaborating on the related law formulation processes. (4) There was continued promotion of the three key methods for reducing waste in daily life: “Bring your own (bags), re-use, and try to use less”; on November 25, 2016, a “Show you care about the planet by using fewer PET bottles” press conference was held at the Taipei 101 Building. (5) Assistance was provided for the continued implementation of existing source reduction measures targeting disposable tableware, plastic trays and containers, and single-use beverage containers, as well as for the continued implementation of existing measures to reduce unnecessary packaging, etc.; the content of the related controls and their effectiveness continued to be reviewed.

Municipal waste, Source reduction, Button cell batteries, Plastic shopping bags, Plastic Microbeads