Businesses operating in Taiwan’s national parks and scenic areas are still lagging behind on plastic-reduction efforts, an environmental group said, even as the government ramps up a broader push towards a low-waste, circular economy aimed at reducing the island’s reliance on imported resources.
A survey released this week by the Taipei-based non-profit Trust in Nature Foundation (TNF) found that some accommodation operators in protected areas continue to provide single-use toiletries, while park shops in several locations still hand out free plastic bags.
Among 224 responses from visitors who stayed in accommodation at protected areas between July and October, 7 per cent said single-use amenities were displayed in guest rooms, despite regulations that prohibit hotels and homestays from providing free disposable toiletries.
Taiwan introduced the rule in January as part of its nationwide effort to curb plastic waste, with guests expected to bring their own amenities or request items at reception if needed.
In addition, 14 per cent of respondents said park shops had provided free plastic shopping bags, although many such concession-operated outlets are not explicitly listed as regulated retailers under existing plastic-restriction rules, according to TNF.
The survey gathered 351 valid questionnaires across 29 sites nationwide, including national parks and national forest recreation areas, and focused on park shops, drinking water facilities, trail-side rubbish bins and accommodation amenities.
Despite the gaps in compliance, public support for tougher restrictions was strong. TNF said 96 per cent of respondents were willing to comply with stricter plastic-reduction measures and urged authorities to take a phased approach over the next four years to ban the procurement, sale and use of non-essential single-use products in national parks and forest recreation areas from 2030.
Taiwan’s National Park Service, which introduced internal plastic-reduction guidelines in 2022, said it conducts annual assessments to ensure compliance, even though the guidelines are not publicly released. Officials also pointed to growing evidence of microplastic pollution in the territory, with the agency detecting microplastics in wildlife droppings as well as in water, air and fish.
The findings come as Taiwan works to scale up circular economy policies across the broader economy. The government is drafting a long-term circular economy roadmap, due to be finalised in 2026, that aims to double resource productivity, cut per-capita material use by about 30 per cent and raise the island’s circularity rate to 2.5 times its 2020 level.
A circular economy seeks to minimise waste by keeping materials in use for longer through reuse, repair and recycling. Officials say the shift is critical for an island with limited natural resources and one of the world’s most export-dependent industrial bases.
Authorities argue that stronger circular systems can reduce reliance on imported raw materials, ease pressure on landfills and incinerators, and strengthen supply-chain resilience in sectors such as semiconductors, petrochemicals and machinery.
Taiwan has expanded its recycling rules since the late 1990s and rolled out extended producer responsibility schemes over the past two decades and funded pilot programmes in remanufacturing, industrial symbiosis and eco-design. It has also encouraged collaboration between local manufacturers and multinational brands facing rising pressure to cut emissions and shrink the environmental footprint of their products.
The Ministry of Environment said it would further study whether to extend plastic-use restrictions to park shops, while agencies pledged to improve access to drinking water dispensers and reduce reliance on trail-side rubbish bins.
Environmental groups say protected areas should lead by example.
“National parks should be at the forefront of plastic reduction and resource circulation,” TNF said, adding that stronger national-level policies would be key to turning public support into lasting change.
NDC 3.0
Those efforts are unfolding in parallel with Taiwan’s latest climate commitments. Though not a party to the United Nations climate framework, the government this year formally announced updated “Nationally Determined Contribution” targets for 2030 and 2035, known as NDC 3.0.
Under the new framework, Taiwan aims to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by about 26 to 30 per cent by 2030 and 36 to 40 per cent by 2035 compared with 2005 levels, with an interim milestone of 32 per cent by 2032, aligning its climate planning with the five-year cycles of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The updated targets build on a legal commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and reflect efforts to balance industrial competitiveness with climate action. Taiwan has also introduced a national carbon fee effective Jan. 1, 2025, placing an initial NT$300(US$9.5)-per-tonne levy on large emitters as part of its decarbonisation drive. The fee applies to large emitters such as power generators and heavy industrial firms, including steel, cement and petrochemical producers.
