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Government mulls introduction of latte levy to combat waste


Sheetal Sukhija
19 Jul 2018

DUBLIN, Ireland - A study conducted by the Government-funded group called Recycling List Ireland has revealed some stark statistics about the number of coffee cups disposed in Ireland. 

According to the study by the group, a whopping 528,000 coffee cups are disposed in Ireland every day.

To put things in perspective, the group broke down the number and said that 22,000 coffee cups are disposed each hour of the day in the country or 366 every minute.

The new recycling report noted this means that up to 200 million single use coffee cups are thrown away every year in Ireland.

It also pointed out that while many disposable cups carry the recyclable logo, the actual cup is not currently recyclable in Ireland and must therefore be disposed of in general waste.

According to the group, the logo refers only to the plastic lids and the cardboard sleeves on some cups, which can be removed and placed for recycling.

Even as the government mulls the introduction of a so-called latte levy to combat waste, Waste Prevention Officer with the Southern Region Waste Management Office and Recycling List Ireland’s Pauline McDonogh said we need to make changes as a country.

McDonogh pointed out, “As disposable cups are made largely from paper many people believe they can be recycled, but unfortunately this is not the case. These cup are lined with plastic polyethylene which is fused to the paper making the cups waterproof but also difficult to recycle.”

Adding, “Of course single use cups are also contaminated by the drink they contained, which is yet another reason why they cannot be added to the bin of clean and dry recyclables. As many as six single use coffee cups are disposed of every second in Ireland, which results in a lot of non-recyclable waste in the form of 528,000 single use cups every day. Right now the only way to combat this waste is to reduce our dependency on these single use coffee cups.”

By revealing the statistics, the group is said to be urging consumers to consider using a ceramic cup in their local cafe or bring along a reusable cup for their take away coffee. 

Further, the Recycling List Ireland explained that once the reusable cup has been used more than 15 times, it is more sustainable than a disposable cup.

Meanwhile, McDonogh pointed out, “It is worth noting that more than 1,000 cafés in Ireland are now giving a discount to consumers with a reusable cup so long-term a reusable cup can make environmental and economical sense. Participating cafés are geo-tagged on www.consciouscup.ie.”

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