Tax on Disposable Cups to be Implemented in Ireland
Ireland will soon implement a new 'latte levy' tax to limit the use of single-use coffee cups.
The President recently signed a bill to encourage recyclable and reusable alternatives to single-use disposable packaging.
The new rule entails CCTV surveillance to identify and deter illegal dumping and littering.
Ossian Smyth, minister of state for communications and the circular economy, stated that the government would engage in public consultation over the tax.
"It’s going to take about 90 days for us to do the public consultation. It’s not just about coffee cups, it’s any food packaging or any product packaging," he said.
"If we find out that there is a good reusable alternative and we think it's feasible to move to that, we can put a small levy on something and encourage consumers to change.
"We’re starting with coffee cups. We’ve been through this process before with plastic bags 20 years ago, and we made exceptions."
The minister added that the government would take a "very practical approach" but that there are many cafes that have already removed disposable cups and "it’s working well for them".
"Nobody is going to be caught short on this and it’s going to save you money on your coffee," he said.
"You’re not going to have to pay for that cup because the cup costs the café 20 cents."
Source: RTE
