Two-thirds of consumers don’t support coffee cup ban
Almost two-thirds of Irish consumers oppose a ban on single-use takeaway coffee cups, according to a new survey.
The data was collected on behalf of the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI), which opposes the Government’s proposed measures to limit the use of paper-based cups.
The association, which has 2,500 members, said that those working in the hospitality industry would rather see the Government focus on improving recycling capacity in the State.
“There are around 15,000 employees in the coffee-related hospitality sector in Ireland, and the vast majority of coffee shop business is takeaway trade. These to-go outlets – often small, family-run businesses – will have to shoulder the burden of the levy and prospective ban on cups,” said RAI Chief Executive Adrian Cummins.
“We all recognise that Ireland must do more to reduce its plastics use and littering levels, but banning compostable and recyclable paper-based cups in favour of hard plastic cups isn’t the way to go about it.
“The market will be driven towards cheap and low-quality items made entirely of hard plastics, with limited reuse potential.”
The so-called ‘latte levy’, which will see the introduction of a 20-cent levy on all disposable paper coffee cups, has faced resistance from stakeholders since the idea was first floated.
According to the RAI’s data, 63% of people feel that recyclable and compostable cups should be excluded from the levy, while nearly three in four feel that paper-based cups should not be subject to it.
The measure is set to be introduced under the Government’s Circular Economy Bill by the end of this year.
It is hoped that the move will encourage customers to switch to reusable items and help curb the dumping of 200 million coffee cups per year.
