The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will not be progressing with its proposed single-use cup charge – aka Latte Levy – this year.
The key proposal was that a charge of at least 25p should apply to all single-use beverage cups when an individual buys a drink of any kind eg coffee, tea, slush, milkshake.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, had previously urged businesses to “lead by example”, claiming that by supporting the charge, retailers could “showcase their commitment to protecting the planet, encouraging customers to make more sustainable, reusable choices”.
However, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), had long argued that retailers were already taking action to improve the recycling of cups and claimed “the last thing businesses need is yet more legislation heaped on them, especially given the Scottish Government’s ability – or lack of – to implement new initiatives”.
Following the announcement that the levy has been delayed, SRC Director, David Lonsdale, said:
“The delay to the mooted new levy on disposable cups is encouraging and shows Ministers are listening; albeit we think the deeply flawed levy should be dropped entirely.”
