Tax on coffee cups will ‘ help slash waste’
PLANS for a 15c latte levy on disposable coffee cups could help prevent as many as 250,000 of them from going to landfill sites.
Other incentives, such as discounts for using reusable mugs in coffee shops, can also help, research shows.
The Government is proposing a 15c levy on disposable coffee cups to persuade the public to use reusable ones instead.
Research shows Irish adults buy four hot drinks a week on average – generating up to two million disposable cups per day.
A survey of more than 1,000 adults suggests that if a ‘latte levy’ were introduced, consumers would use 68,000 fewer plastic cups every day.
However, 250,000 disposable cups per day would be prevented from going to landfill if the levy were to be implemented along with measures such as discounts at the till for bringing one’s own reusable mug, the survey found.
As many as 60% of those surveyed by Amárach Research and Carr Communications’ Behavioural Economics and Sciences team supported the latte levy. But just 19% said it would change their own behaviour. Some 23% said they believed the tax would change the behaviour of others.
Between 70% and 80% rated other measures such as discounts for using reusable mugs as being more effective at incentivising them to use fewer plastic cups.
Asked how they felt about a 15c levy, 45% of respondents said it was the right amount, 42% felt it was too much and 13% said the levy should be higher.
Dr Rob Mooney, research director at Amárach Research, said: ‘This research demonstrates that while the “latte levy” may have an impact, it would be greatly enhanced by including other behavioural nudges too, such as offering discounts to those who use reusable cups, or a refund scheme for the return of plastic cups.
‘This study also shows that how information is framed can affect behaviour, and how they perceive the effectiveness of the policy change on their own behaviour and the behaviour of others.’
Last month, the Irish Daily Mail pledged to highlight the consequences of our throwaway culture to turn the tide on plastic after it was revealed that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.