Environment

Killarney to become first Irish town to end use of disposable coffee cups

Taking effect from July 31st, the move comes ahead of introduction of 20c levy on single-use cups

Catriona Power, Becky Hargrove and Emer Corridan of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation sustainability committee at the launch of the Killarney Coffee Cup Project aimed at removing single-use cups from the town. Photograph: Valerie O'Sullivan

Rory Fleming
Tue Jul 11 2023 - 19:15

Killarney is set to become the first town in Ireland to end the use of disposable coffee cups.

From July 31st, a collective of 25 local independent coffee shops and 21 hotels in the Co Kerry town will no longer offer single-use cups.

Instead, consumers are encouraged to bring their own reusable cup, with customers also able to purchase one for a refundable €2 deposit.

The decision to implement the scheme comes ahead of the planned introduction of a “Latte levy”, which would see the price of a cup of coffee rise by 20c.

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In removing the availability of single-use cups, independent coffee shops and hotels aim to maintain current coffee prices within the town.

Welcoming the Killarney Coffee Cup Project, which seeks to remove over 1 million disposable coffee cups in the town annually, Minister of State for the circular economy Ossian Smyth said: “It’s great to see the town of Killarney taking the initiative. Killarney’s economy is tied to its beautiful natural environment and this scheme will reduce litter, save money on disposable cups for the businesses and save the public from paying the cup levy.”

Ms Smyth, who announced plans for the levy last year, recently indicated that it would be introduced this summer although no start date has been agreed.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said on Tuesday it was “working to agree a commencement date for the levy. Once a commencement date has been agreed, at least three months will be provided to allow appropriate preparation to be made, including a comprehensive public awareness campaign, before the levy is applied”.

Louise Byrne, sustainability manager for the Killarney Park Hotel and The Ross, said local business owners were inspired to act after a clean up of Killarney National Park revealed disposable coffee cups as one of the chief forms of litter. She said the scheme was being met with “resounding enthusiasm” from people “wanting to give back”.

Ms Byrne added she did not believe the scheme would negatively impact on coffee consumption in the town, as coffee shops had already seen a large increase in people brining their own reusable cups in-store.

Citing the plastic bag levy as a previously successful initiative used to reduce amounts of litter, she said she hoped the coffee cup project would have a similar positive influence.

Litter caused by disposable coffee cups has become a cause of greater concern in recent years, with a 2018 study by Recycling List Ireland finding that 200 million single use cups are thrown out by Irish people each year, accounting for 1.7 per cent of all litter pollution.

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