The first town in Ireland to ban single-use coffee cups has called on the Government to catch up and implement the so-called ‘latte levy’ nationwide.
Killarney became the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups in July 2023.
Over 70 cafes and hotels now only accept reusable cups – or charge customers a €2 deposit to buy a cup that can be returned.
The ‘latte levy’ was introduced by the Government under the Circular Economy Act in 2022 – but it is yet to be implemented across the country.
A Newstalk/Amárach Poll in February found 51% of people would be in favour of introducing the latte levy, while 41% were against it.
The levy would add a 20c charge to the price of a drink if it is served in a single-use disposable cup.
Implementing the latte levy
Killian Treacy, owner of LUNA Coffee + Wine, said business owners in Killarney feel “let down” by the Government’s inaction.
“[The Circular Economy Act] was signed into law two years ago,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“We feel like we’ve done the right thing by the environment - but we haven't been supported through action.
“The project is going very well, but in order to sustain this long term, we can't depend on public goodwill forever.
“Eventually there needs to be policy to change behaviour.”
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Mr Treacy said Killarney’s latte levy has prevented over one million coffee cups from ending up in landfill or as litter in the town.
He said the policy has been “very well-received" by locals and tourists – particularly due to the collaboration between businesses.
“It’s a €2 deposit [on coffee cups],” he said. “You can walk down the street and hand the cup back into any coffee shop here in Killarney and get your money back.”
Compostable coffee cups
Compostable coffee cups, according to Mr Treacy, are not as effective as a latte levy since Ireland does not yet have proper compost facilities.
He also said many coffee cups people think are sustainable “generally aren’t compostable” at all.
“A lot of the coffee cups that you see as compostable and recyclable are both made up of paper and plastic, so they can't actually be recycled,” he said.
Mr Treacy said “about 30” towns across Ireland have contacted the Killarney Coffee Cup Project asking how they might roll out a similar ban.
Without a nationwide latte levy rollout, however, he thinks it is “probably unlikely” other towns will follow Killarney’s example.
