22 Aug. 2024: The Scottish government has announced it is launching a consultation on a 25p single-use cup charge, regardless of material.
People across Scotland are being asked to have their say on a minimum charge for single-use cups to ‘promote responsible consumption and cut waste’.
An estimated 388 million single-use cups were used in Scotland in 2021-22 creating 5,400 tonnes of waste.
The 25p charge will apply to all single-use drinks cups when a drink is bought, regardless of material.
Exemptions would apply for specific locations and uses, such as in schools, and free drinks in hospital or care settings would not be included in the scope of the charge.
There are already similar charging schemes for cups established in Europe – with the Netherlands introducing a guideline charge of 25 cents on plastic, single-use cups in 2023.
Legislation allowing the introduction of environmental levies on single- disposable cups in the Republic of Ireland was also passed in 2022 – although it has yet to come into force.
In Scotland retailers would be able to retain ‘reasonable implementation costs’ from the charge – mirroring the approach taken for single-use carrier bags.
The consultation, running until 14 November, also seeks views whether the net proceeds from a charge should be kept by businesses and used for good causes or collected by local or national government.
Gillian Martin, acting net zero secretary, said: “The success of the single-use carrier bag charge shows how an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change people’s behaviour and encourage responsible consumption.”
She said many of single-use cups end up as litter – analysts say the vast majority do.
“Introducing a national charge could provide consistency for consumers, provide a level playing field for retail and businesses and help to drive forward sustainable behaviours. Our proposed approach is similar to the charge for single-use carrier bags and will be familiar to both suppliers and the public. We hope this means that it will minimise any administrative burden on businesses and make it easy for individuals and organisations to adopt.
“I urge everyone to have their say so we ,can choose the most sustainable option for both people and businesses while helping to tackle litter, reduce waste and cut emissions.”
Calum Duncan, head of policy and advocacy, Marine Conservation Society, said: “Our volunteers have consistently recorded single-use disposable cups on over half of UK beaches surveyed. We need to see charges on these kinds of items to reduce litter in our seas and prevent it from damaging our precious marine life.
“We know that policies like this work, with our data recently showing an 80% reduction in the average number of plastic carrier bags washing up on beaches since charges on them were introduced. We look forward to a similar decline in disposable cups once a charge is introduced, and need further measures from governments to move towards a society where refillable and reusable options are the norm.”