It is heartening to read about Taipei’s decisive and bold move to ban the use of disposable plastic cups by bubble tea shops, coffee joints, fast-food restaurants and convenience stores (Taipei bans bubble tea and coffee shops from using disposable plastic cups, Dec 10).

For years, I have felt that the ever-growing bubble tea industry here contributes significantly to single-use plastic waste. The cups, lids, straws, wrappers for straws, and carrier bags used for these beverages are usually dumped immediately after consumption.

In Singapore’s quest for sustainability, the National Environment Agency should learn from Taipei, and look into actions to tackle what I see as low-hanging fruit in environmental protection efforts.

Efforts to save the environment will bear fruit only if they are applied across all industries and segments of society with conviction and urgency.

Stephen Tan