Councilor Concerned About Plastic Bag Price Fluctuations; Taipei City Market Administration Office Proposes 3 Countermeasures
Taipei City Councilor expressed concern over plastic bag price fluctuations due to Middle East conflicts, impacting vendors and consumers. The Taipei City Market Administration Office announced three countermeasures: establishing a central contact window, promoting plastic reduction, and encouraging reusable shopping bags. Vendors reported a 20-30% price increase and supply shortages.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 17:58
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 19:00 (1h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 21:06 (170h 5m after Collected)
Due to the Middle East conflict affecting petrochemical raw material supply, the market is concerned about the supply and price changes of plastic products. Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan of the Kuomintang stated, based on inquiry data, that plastic bags and heat-resistant bags are essential materials commonly used in markets, night markets, and vendor concentration areas. If supply is unstable or prices rise, it may be reflected in selling prices, ultimately borne by consumers.
He stated that according to the Market Administration Office's inventory, vendors in concentrated areas most frequently reported recent high prices and unstable supply of plastic bags, with some areas reporting shortages, indicating that the situation has affected markets, night markets, and vendor concentration areas.
Chan Wei-yuan said that this situation also reflects vendors' high reliance on single-use plastic packaging materials. The Taipei City Market Administration Office should not merely view this as a private procurement issue but should seize the opportunity to examine the usage across various industries and assist in providing measures such as alternative packaging materials.
The Market Administration Office responded that it has surveyed the recent supply of plastic bags and heat-resistant bags. Vendors generally reported a 20% to 30% increase in plastic packaging material prices, and in response, three countermeasures were proposed.
The Market Administration Office stated that the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Commercial Development Agency held a "Commercial District and Market Plastic Bag Shortage Supply Coordination Meeting" at the end of March. In addition to establishing a contact window with the central government, the city government has notified its supervised markets and vendors that they can purchase supplies from two chain hardware stores if needed. If there are supply or coordination issues, they can report them at any time, and assistance will be immediately provided to report to the central government.
The Market Administration Office also stated that it would strengthen guidance for vendors to promote plastic reduction actions or switch to alternative packaging materials, such as paper bags. Finally, it will promote and encourage consumers to reuse eco-friendly shopping bags or bring their own containers.
The Market Administration Office stated that a survey of 47 public markets and 51 vendor concentration areas regarding the supply of plastic bags and heat-resistant bags found that 22 areas considered prices too high, and among vendor concentration areas, 6 had shortages and 46 had high prices. The office will continue to investigate plastic product prices and supply conditions in the market. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150408
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He stated that according to the Market Administration Office's inventory, vendors in concentrated areas most frequently reported recent high prices and unstable supply of plastic bags, with some areas reporting shortages, indicating that the situation has affected markets, night markets, and vendor concentration areas.
Chan Wei-yuan said that this situation also reflects vendors' high reliance on single-use plastic packaging materials. The Taipei City Market Administration Office should not merely view this as a private procurement issue but should seize the opportunity to examine the usage across various industries and assist in providing measures such as alternative packaging materials.
The Market Administration Office responded that it has surveyed the recent supply of plastic bags and heat-resistant bags. Vendors generally reported a 20% to 30% increase in plastic packaging material prices, and in response, three countermeasures were proposed.
The Market Administration Office stated that the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Commercial Development Agency held a "Commercial District and Market Plastic Bag Shortage Supply Coordination Meeting" at the end of March. In addition to establishing a contact window with the central government, the city government has notified its supervised markets and vendors that they can purchase supplies from two chain hardware stores if needed. If there are supply or coordination issues, they can report them at any time, and assistance will be immediately provided to report to the central government.
The Market Administration Office also stated that it would strengthen guidance for vendors to promote plastic reduction actions or switch to alternative packaging materials, such as paper bags. Finally, it will promote and encourage consumers to reuse eco-friendly shopping bags or bring their own containers.
The Market Administration Office stated that a survey of 47 public markets and 51 vendor concentration areas regarding the supply of plastic bags and heat-resistant bags found that 22 areas considered prices too high, and among vendor concentration areas, 6 had shortages and 46 had high prices. The office will continue to investigate plastic product prices and supply conditions in the market. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150408
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.