Material labeling for plastic containers will be implemented in two years.
The Department of Health's new regulations require that plastic containers, including water bottles, baby bottles, lunch boxes, and plastic cups, must now be labeled with their material, heat resistance temperature, or cold resistance temperature on the outside of the bottle or on its packaging. The regulations are expected to be announced in March or April next year and will be implemented the year after.
The Department of Health stated that the new system will be implemented in two phases: in 2012, it will primarily focus on reusable plastic containers; and in 2013, it will target disposable plastic containers. Violators will be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
Cheng Wei-chih, head of the Food and Drug Administration's Food and Drug Safety Section, said that there are many types of plastic containers on the market, each with different characteristics, heat resistance, or cold resistance. People often don't understand this and can easily use them incorrectly. The most common example is the ice cream cups used for Slurpees or the transparent cups for iced coffee taken from coffee shops. People are reluctant to throw them away after use and recycle them to hold hot water.
In fact, transparent cold drink cups are made of polylactic acid (PLA), which has a heat resistance of only 50 degrees Celsius; many microwave-safe containers are made of polypropylene (PP), which can withstand temperatures up to 100 degrees Celsius and can be microwaved, but the lids are made of polystyrene (PS), which has a maximum heat resistance of only 90 degrees Celsius and cannot be microwaved.
The 3-in-1 coffee paper cup has an inner PE film (polyethylene). If it is a high-density PE film, it can withstand heat up to 110 degrees Celsius, so it is fine to use it to hold hot water. However, if it is a low-density PE film, it can only withstand heat up to 90 degrees Celsius, so it is not suitable to use it to hold very hot water.
In addition, disposable plastic cups come in different materials. If they are made of polystyrene (PS), they cannot be used to hold very hot water, but if they are made of polypropylene (PP), they can.
–Source: Liberty Times
