Supermarket to bin plastic coffee cups

WAITROSE has announced plans to banish plastic coffee cups from its stores.

The removal of disposable cups will initially take place in nine stores from Apr 30 and be rolled out nationally in a phased programme by the autumn.

The supermarket said the move, which comes as the Government is considering a “latte levy” that would bring in a charge on disposable coffee cups, would save more than 52 million cups a year.

Tor Harris, head of sustainability and responsible sourcing at Waitrose, said: “We realise this is a major change, but we believe removing all takeaway disposable cups is the right thing to do for our business and are confident the majority of customers will support the environmental benefits.

“It underlines our commitment to plastic and packaging reduction and our aim is to deliver this as quickly as possible.”

It is estimated by the parliamentary environmental audit committee that the UK throws away 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups a year, almost none of which are recycled, usually because the cups contain a plastic lining.

Members of the mywaitrose loyalty scheme will now have to use a reusable “keep cup”, allowing them to continue to get free tea or coffee from self-service machines.