By‘‘’Government plans to impose a so-called “latte levy” of at least 20 cent on disposable paper coffee cups, before eventually banning them altogether, are facing a campaign of resistance from coffee shop owners, cup manufacturers and industry lobby groups, who claim it will damage business and be counterproductive for the environment.
Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, the Minister of State in charge of the plans, has confirmed the Government’s plan is to ban paper coffee cups altogether, and that the levy is just an intermediate measure to get people to “change behaviour”. Some cup manufacturers, whose trade is threatened by the proposed law, have also argued to Government that the disposable levy does not take into account what the cup is made from, and it should be lowered for cups with less plastic. Cup Print, an Ennis company employing 200 people that makes recyclable and compostable paper cups, recently made a presentation to members of a subcommittee of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment and Climate Action, which is scrutinising the proposals.
He also said the proposals as currently designed could lead to more plastic being consumed through repeated buying of harder keep cups and a “worse outcome for the environment”.
We have been campaigning for this levy for years through our CCCampaign_Irl. Reusable cups are proven to be safe and the best way to reduce pollution.
mud cups? or edible cups?