In order to fulfill the spirit of pollution source reduction, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) promotes plastics restriction policy continuously, and assists the institutes, colleges and universities, as well as eating and drinking establishments that operate out of storefronts to use rewashable tableware. EPA also evaluates the feasibility to excute the expansion of plastics restriction policy associated with the other plastic items; and evaluates feasible control way for PVC products and other additives; as well as evaluates the background investigation, recommendation of control measures, planning of coordination measures for mercury containing products. The work contents executed and completed in this project include: ˙To promote the institutes, colleges and universities, as well as eating and drinking establishments that operate out of storefronts to use rewashable tableware. Most units support the trend and policy to reduce the utilization of disposable tableware. However, the key factor for using rewashable tableware is health and safe consideration as well as the laws and regulations are clear or not. Besides, the cooperation of related authorities is also very important. ˙To investigate current condition of plastics restriction policy and reduction accomplishment. As for plastic shopping bags, the amount is reduced by 59.86%, and the weight is reduced by 28.5%, compared those before the implementation of this policy. As for eating and drinking establishments that operate with storefronts, the amount is reduced by 33%, but the weight is increased by 74% due to thickness limitation. Besides, other seven sectors use 10.4 billion plastic shopping bags per year, and their weight is 56,175 ton/year, which is worth to be controlled further. ˙To evaluate the feasibility to excute the expansion of plastics restriction policy. Aiming to use biodegradable materials (without 5P) to substitute plastic materials. The domestic mega retail stores are invited to attend the trial activities. They select specific trays, egg cases and bread cases to conduct trial run, and submit the results to EPA as references for the evaluation of control policy. ˙To evaluate feasible control way for PVC products and other additives. According to Article 21 of Waste Disposal Act to limit or inhibit the utilization of specific PVC products. Or refer to the volunteer agreement of European Union to invite large enterprises to reduce the utilization of PVC packaging materials or products volunteerly. ˙On October 5, 2005, according to the promulgation of “Limitation for the Manufacturing, Import and Sales of Dry Battery”, mercury containing dry battery, mercury body thermometer, blood pressure meter etc. have been controlled through content limitation, type verification and battery body labelling etc. And the preliminary proposal of coordination measures has been completed.

Plastics restriction policy, mercury restriction, PVC products control