After a ban on single-use plastic straws took effect on 1 July 2019, inspections of the item were conducted in every county and city in Taiwan, which took place simultaneously at 1,138 sites on the first day. Two enterprises were found not compliant with the ban and subsequently received warnings. Nationwide implementation of the ban has generally gone well overall.  

The Targets and Implementation Methods of the Single-use Plastic Straw Ban, announced by the EPA on 8 May 2019, requires roughly 8,000 enterprises in four categories, namely, the public sector; schools; department stores and shopping malls; and fast-food chain restaurant to stop providing single-use plastic straws for onsite dining. Before 30 June 2020, violators will receive warnings for breaking the ban for the first time, with fines ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$6,000 for breaking it a second time while showing no improvement. Before the ban officially took effect, the EPA formulated regulations concerning inspections and compiled lists of enterprises in the four categories as references for local governments to conduct inspections and awareness campaigns.
The EPA stated that as reducing marine waste is a pressing issue globally, it hoped more and more people would voluntarily answer the call to reduce waste at-source, in the face of increasingly severe environmental and ecological challenges. The main goal of the ban on single-use plastic straws, that begun on 1 July 2019, is to implement phased controls and for the public to become less reliant on such straws. Citizens and enterprises can learn to adapt to such a measure starting with the first targets subject to the ban, which are onsite, indoor dining environments where use of single-use plastic straws is not necessary.

Excerpt from Environmental Policy Monthly, 22 (7)