Taipei City Government

Spotlighting the artwork of Jimmy Liao, a new commemorative version of Taipei’s designated shopping-turned-garbage bag will be available at stores starting April 22.
 
The commemorative bag is a collaboration between the artist and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). According to the agency, the first run of the special shopping-turned-garbage bag was released on December 24, 2020. The current edition has been released to commemorate the 2021 Earth day.
 
Limited to a supply of 2 million, the designated bag can be purchased at 8 convenient store chains, supermarkets, and big box retailers starting April 22. DEP encourages the public to carry reusable bags when making purchases at shops and markets to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.
 
According to DEP, since the implementation of Taipei’s Per Bag Trash Collection Fee policy, Taipei City has successfully reduced its trash generation by over 60-percent. It also helped boost the city’s recycling rate from 2.4-percent to 64.5-percent. Furthermore, since the implementation of “Two-bags-in-one” policy in 2018, the city has successfully eliminated the use of over 20 million plastic bags.
 
The limited version shopping-turned-garbage bag is available only as large 14-liter bags. While the first edition of the reusable bag was based on the theme “Make A Wish,” the art on the second edition bags emphasizes the concept of “becoming as blue as the ocean water.”