Coffee lovers face 15c paper cup ‘latte levy’

Charge is designed to tackle 2m disposable cups dumped every day

COFFEE drinkers face a 15c ‘latte levy’ hike on disposable coffee cups. The new charge is being introduced in a bid to force people to start buying reusable ones.

The charge, which would be applied in a similar fashion to the plastic bag levy, is likely to be initially set at around 10-15c per cup.

Environment Minister Denis Naughten has confirmed that the move is being researched as two million throwaway coffee cups are currently sent to landfill every day.

He also plans to introduce other incentives to encourage customers to bring their own cups to shops.

Talks have taken place with major companies, including Insomnia and Supermacs.

“They are looking at cost-effective alternatives, as the main challenge is the plastic film lining the paper cups, meaning that they’re rarely recyclable,” Mr Naughten said.

The minister is working closely on proposals with his Scottish counterpart, Roseanna Cunningham, who has already indicated her intention to apply a 5pc charge on single-use coffee cups.

A standard takeaway coffee in a Dublin café costs in the region of €2.50, meaning that such a levy would amount to around 13c.

The Green Party has already introduced legislation in the Dáil which would totally ban the use of disposable cups, but Mr Naughten said this would be likely to breach European Union rules.

A pilot project is already under way in Mr Naughten’s constituency, where Roscommon Tidy Town has launched its own ‘Rossie’ reusable cup. Most of the cafés and shops in the town are giving discounts to customers who use these cups.

“A similar scheme operates in New York. By using a reusable cup, you get to join the fasttrack coffee queue,” said Mr Naughten.

A NEW levy on disposable coffee cups is on the cards in a bid to force people to start buying reusable ones.

The charge, which would be applied in a similar fashion to the plastic bag levy, is likely to be initially set at around 10-15 cent per cup.

Environment Minister Denis Naughten (inset below) confirmed the move was being actively researched because “every day two million throwaway coffee cups are sent to landfill”.

The minister has a long-term aim of eliminating single-use coffee cups altogether. As well as the ‘latte levy’, Mr Naughten is looking at other schemes, such as getting stores to put in place incentives for customers who bring their own cup. Talks have already taken place with major companies, including Insomnia and Supermac’s.

“They are looking at cost-effective alternatives, as the main challenge is the plastic film lining the paper cups, meaning they’re rarely recyclable,” Mr Naughten said.

He is working closely on proposals with his Scottish counterpart, Roseanna Cunningham, who has already indicated her intention to apply a 5pc charge on single-use coffee cups. A standard takeaway coffee in a Dublin café costs in the region of €2.50, meaning such a levy would amount to around 13c.

At the weekend the Citizens’ Assembly heard Scotland is now a world leader in terms of climate change policy.

The Green Party here has already introduced legislation in the Dáil which would totally ban the use of disposable cups, but Mr Naughten said this would be likely to breach EU rules.

Instead he wants to try to change consumer behaviour through financial incentives, reusable alternatives and better messaging around the environmental impact of coffee cups.

“Some of the areas that we will be looking at involve the potential for local authorities becoming part of a nationwide scheme where customers could sign up, for a small fee, in order to return their used reusable cup to participating cafés and bakeries, and get their next coffee served in another reusable cup,” Mr Naughten said.

The network of cafés and bakeries would handle the logistics – collecting, washing, and redistributing.

A pilot project is already under way in the minister’s constituency, where Roscommon Tidy Town has launched its own ‘Rossie’ reusable cup.

Most of the cafés and shops in the town are giving discounts to customers who use these cups.

“A similar scheme operates in New York, with an added benefit that probably pertains to the New York style of living more than here. By using a reusable cup, you get to join the fast-track coffee queue,” said Mr Naughten.

His officials are to look “at best practice and international research” before any levy is introduced, but the minister suggested it would be “similar to the plastic bag levy”.

It is now 15 years since the plastic bag levy was introduced at a price of 15c per bag. Usage fell from an estimated 328 bags per inhabitant per year, to just 21 bags per capita, within a single year, and has continued to fall since.

The collaboration with the Scottish government also involves projects to tackle illegal dumping of tyres, waste debris from ships and trawlers, and coastline waste.