Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

116. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will outline his Department’s plans to reduce waste from disposable cups; if he plans any initiatives to support the update of keep-cups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6795/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Millions of single-use cups are sent to landfill or incineration every year in Ireland. This is an entirely avoidable waste and I want to encourage people to prevent it by enjoying their on-the-go drink in a reusable cup. The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, Ireland’s national waste policy, sets out a range of measures to tackle the waste and litter caused by single use plastics, including single use cups. That Plan proposes to eliminate this waste stream with the introduction of a levy and an eventual ban on all single-use cups, building on the success of initiatives such as the Killarney Coffee Cup project.

My Department has been working with the Revenue Commissioners on designing a new collection model for environmental levies, which will require changes to primary legislation. The relevant Heads of Bill have been approved and drafting is underway. Once this legislation is in place, a commencement date for a levy on single use cups will be agreed to allow the appropriate preparations be made by the sector before the levy goes live. A comprehensive and timely public information campaign will help to ensure a smooth transition to a more sustainable coffee culture here.

Although the levy is not in place yet, many consumers and businesses have already made the switch to reusable cups, thereby saving the purchase cost of throw-away cups and reducing the cost to the public purse of litter clean-ups. The local authority sector is estimated to spend over €100m per annum on litter management. To support other towns and communities establish reusable cup schemes similar to Killarney, my Department is currently developing a ‘how to go reusable’ toolkit, using the Killarney scheme as a case study.