Scotland launches consultation on charge for single-use beverage cups

28 Aug 2024 --- The Scottish government has opened a public consultation on the possible introduction of a GBP0.25 (US$0.33) charge on all single-use beverage cups, regardless of the material, each time a drink is bought. 

Exemptions would apply for specific locations and uses, such as schools. Free drinks in hospitals or care settings would not be included in the charge.

The government is asking citizens nationwide to share their opinions on a minimum charge for single-use cups to promote responsible consumption and cut waste.

“The success of the single-use carrier bag charge shows how an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change people’s behavior and encourage responsible consumption,” says Acting Net Zero secretary Gillian Martin.

“While many businesses already have offers in place to encourage the use of reusable drinks cups, hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being discarded, creating 5,400 tons of waste every year. Many of these cups end up littering our roadsides, town centers, beaches and parks.”

Mirroring single-use bags schemes

Legislation allowing the introduction of environmental levies on single-use disposable cups in the Republic of Ireland was also passed in 2022, although it has yet to come into force.

“Introducing a national charge could provide consistency for consumers, provide a level playing field for retail and businesses and help to drive forward sustainable behaviors,” says Martin.

“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 minimize any administrative burden on businesses and make it easy for individuals and organizations to adopt.”

Under the consultation proposals, Scottish retailers could retain “reasonable” implementation costs from the charge — mirroring the approach taken for single-use carrier bags.

It also seeks views on whether the net proceeds from a charge should be kept by businesses and used for good causes or collected by local or national government.

Sweeping impact

An estimated 388 million single-use cups were used in Scotland in 2021–2022, creating 5,400 tons of waste, according to government statistics.

The use of single-use plastic carrier bags fell by 80% in the first year in Scotland, following the introduction of a GBP0.05 (US$0.07) charge in 2014. Since its implementation, the Marine Conservation Society’s annual litter survey has reported an 80% drop in plastic bags found on UK beaches. 

“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,” says Calum Duncan, head of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society.

“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 toward a society where refillable and reusable options are the norm.”

Actions phasing out single-use

Consumer-led scrutiny of single-use containers has been growingly evident across international sporting events this year, with activists taking note of “double standards” at this year’s Paris Olympics. At certain venues’ drinks stands run by Coca-Cola, servers were reportedly seen filling reusable “eco-cups” with drinks poured directly from 50 cL plastic bottles, which led to the vendors amassing sacks of these empty plastic bottles.

At Wimbledon, Clubzerø teamed up with Barclays at the Wimbledon Championships to offer strawberries and cream ice cream served in Clubzerø’s latest returnable packaging innovation, the “Perfect Pot.” They were serviced daily at drop-off points using emission-free electric vehicles providing sustainable collections and redistributions of the packaging.

Evian, meanwhile, unveiled an arch-shaped drinking water refill system at Wimbledon to supply spectators of the ongoing tennis tournament and encourage reusable water containers. Spectators could purchase a QR code for GBP 5 (US$6.35), which enabled refills with Evian natural mineral water throughout their day.

By Benjamin Ferrer