Scottish Government plans for 25p 'latte cup levy' backed by litter campaigners

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Litter campaigners have said Scottish Government plans for a 25p “latte levy” are a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” with most Scots sick of discarded disposable cups.

Data from Keep Scotland Beautiful found 53 per cent of Scots say they regularly spot single-use drinks containers littered across the country - including coffee cups and cold drinks bottles and cans. The SNP government is consulting on proposals for a single-use coffee cup charge that would hit Scots with a 25p fee for each use.

It’s aimed at driving the public towards eco-friendly reusable cups in the same way the 2014 carrier bag charge in shops wiped out most single-use plastic bags. In its submission to Nats ministers’ consultation, charity Keep Scotland Beautiful insisted the cup charge should be “no less” than 25p.

And they argued proceeds from the levy should be spent on making it easier for people to recycle on developing “infrastructure which makes it the norm for people to borrow and return or use reusable alternatives”. The anti-litter group also insisted exemptions to the single-use cup charge should be as few as possible.

Under current proposals, there would be exemptions for schools and free drinks handed out in hospitals or care homes. The power to introduce levies for disposable items like cups is a key plank of the Scottish Government’s flagship Circular Economy Bill.

Paul Wallace, Head of Operations at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Our key priority is to see a charge introduced. We’ve been pushing hard for action to be taken to reduce our consumption of single-use cups for many years and were pleased to see measures brought forward in the Circular Economy Bill.

"One thing we are sure of is that no single measure will be effective in changing behaviour on its own. But a charge will encourage people to reduce their reliance on single-use items and raise awareness of consumption habits and promote individual responsibility.

"We believe the charge offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest any proceeds generated to set up improved recycling infrastructure and support the development of effective and integrated borrow and reuse infrastructure making it easier for consumers and businesse s to choose to do the right thing and help eliminate single-use cup consumption in most situations.”

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A staggering 388million single-use cups were used in Scotland in 2021-22, official estimates show, with tens of thousands littered. Research in 2019 suggested the single-use cup charge would lead to a behaviour change in 49 per cent of the population.

MSPs previously warned any charge must be introduced in a way that doesn’t hammer small firms and consumers. It comes after the Scottish Government’s botched Deposit Return Scheme for bottles and cans, which was strongly criticised by businesses as too costly, fell apart after it was blocked by Westminster.

The government's public consultation on the coffee cup charge closed on Tuesday.

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