Start saying good-bye to the disposable coffee cup

Plastic straws are a thing of the past: next in government’s sights is the disposable coffee cup.

Ireland sends nearly 200 million coffee cops to landfill or incineration every year, and in the new Circular Economy Bill, which has been published by the Government, the intention is that over time, a range of single-use disposable products will also be phased out.

Among its targets is to make Ireland the first country in the world to eliminate the use of disposable coffee cups, nearly half a million of which are currently sent to landfill or incineration every day, amounting to 200 million cups a year.

In a circular economy, waste and resource use are minimised. The use and value of products and materials is maintained for as long as possible. When a product has reached the end of its life its parts are used again and again – to create further useful products, instead of being discarded which is an all too familiar pattern now.

The shift away from disposable coffee cups will begin with a ban on their use for sit-in customers in cafés and restaurants, followed by the introduction of a small charge on disposable cups for takeaway coffees that can be avoided completely by using a keep cup.

The Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth TD, said: “This bill aims to stop the wasteful pattern of using valuable resources once and then just binning them. From discouraging the use of single-use items, to improving the process for allowing recycled materials onto the market, this legislation will support the development of sustainable products and business models across the economy.”

The Bill builds on the Government’s commitment to achieving a circular economy, as set out in the 2020 Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and the 2021 Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy. This Bill now places that strategy on a statutory footing, putting the re-use of resources and reduced consumption at the heart of the Irish economy.

The Bill also effectively calls time on coal exploration by ending the issuing of new licences for the exploration and mining of coal, lignite and oil shale. This follows-on from Programme for Government commitments to end new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas, which was in line with the previous 2019 decision to end oil exploration and extraction.