Latte Levy Stopped

The Latte Levy was to be introduced this year by Environment Minister Dennis Naughton as a means to reduce plastic waste and coffee cups  going to landfill. This has now come to a halt as he believes many retailers are now introducing compostable cups. The 15 cent levy was to incentivise customers to use reusable cups as well as avert 250,000 cups A DAY! from landfill.

Some retailers have already initiated their own incentives for customers i.e. reduced prices for reusable cups or free coffee if consumers purchase their own brand reusable coffee cups. Retailers are  also offering compostable or recyclable coffee cups but the likeliness of customers know which is which is highly unlikely.

The Latte Levy was to be introduced this year by Environment Minister Dennis Naughton as a means to reduce plastic waste and coffee cups  going to landfill. This has now come to a halt as he believes many retailers are now introducing compostable cups. The 15 cent levy was to incentivise customers to use reusable cups as well as avert 250,000 cups A DAY! from landfill.

Some retailers have already initiated their own incentives for customers i.e. reduced prices for reusable cups or free coffee if consumers purchase their own brand reusable coffee cups. Retailers are  also offering compostable or recyclable coffee cups but the likeliness of customers know which is which is highly unlikely.

Most consumers believe that coffee cups can be recycled but in fact they cannot due to the plastic film in middle of the cups that retains the heat. This is then an issue for recycling centres  as more time is then spent on removing non recycled materials.  There will also be no regulations to ensure retailers will stop or reduce single use coffee cups being sold and so it is up to the informed consumer to do what it right for the environment.

Once again Ireland is left playing catch up with the rest of our European Neighbours when it comes to reducing plastic and domestic waste. Rural communities will tell you that on clean up events much of their waste gathered from ditches and road sides are coffee cups.

So we are left with two options, we either sit on our hands OR do something about it ourselves. Top tips for reducing your Coffee Cup Consumption!

•          Firstly, buy a decent quality coffee cup/flask,( buying cheap will only mean you will need to replace it in  a week or two). There are plenty of durable products online or any of the supermarkets.
•          Invest in a good coffee machine or instant brand at home, for the moderate coffee drinker you may be surprised how much you spend on coffee when on the go without realising. For someone who buys 3-4 coffee a week you could be spending up to €50 a month( €600 a year) . There are plenty of good (and local) brands to reach ones high standard for a caffeine fix.
•          Slow down and sit in! People are consistently adding more and more pressure to their lifestyles. Half an hour shouldn’t make a difference to sit down, take a breather and eat in as opposed to littering your car with take-away rubbish that will more than likely end up in the wrong bins!

Little changes are so vital in the fight against waste, look how well our little nation has coped with the plastic bag debacle many moons ago. It is second nature to have at least 30 bags stuffed into the glove compartment or boot before heading to the shops. People have even started ditching the ‘bag for life’ bags and starting bringing baskets back into the equation. We are well capable so begin today and refuse the single use cup!

Please feel free to vistit www.littlegreenshop.ie  that has many so products to help and guide you to live a plastic ‘coffee cup’ free lifestyle.