January 5, 2018 2.18 pm This story is over 82 months old

How would a ‘latte levy’ on throwaway cups affect Lincoln coffee shops?

A good idea?

MPs across the country are calling for a 25p charge on takeaway coffee cups to be introduced in a bid to tackle waste – but what would that mean for businesses in Lincoln?

If introduced,  the charge dubbed the ‘latte levy’ would be for disposable cups which are not recyclable.

It is estimated that around 2.5 billion paper cups are thrown away in the UK every year, however only 1% of these cups are recycled.

MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee have also called for disposable cups to be completely banned by 2023 unless they can be made recyclable.

Andrew Carnell, owner of Coffee Aroma. Photo: Sarah Barker for The Lincolnite

Currently, Lincoln coffee shops including Angel Coffee House and Coffee Aroma offer incentives for customers who use reusable cups and already use cups that are biodegradable.

Andrew Carnell, owner of Coffee Aroma, which sells around 200 take away coffees a week, told The Lincolnite: “We are actually just in the process of buying some keep-cups which we have been discussing for around six months.

Coffee Aroma said they have already been looking into using degradable cups. Photo: Sarah Barker for The Lincolnite

“Already, we give a discount if you come in with a keep-cup, which is a reusable cup you keep yourself.

“When you buy it we give you a free coffee and we give a discount whenever you use it.

“The cups we sell now are as environmentally friendly as they can be but whether they get recycled I couldn’t tell you.

“I personally have nothing against the levy, it is not a big issue for us.”