Should all coffee shops put a charge on disposable cups?

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Following the announcement that Starbucks will test a 5p paper cup charge across all 950 stores in Britain from July 26, CityX looked into whether other coffee shops should follow suit.

The new Starbucks charge will see all stores add 5p on to the cost of any drink purchased in a paper cup in a bid to further encourage customers to bring in a reusable cup.

Customers using reusable cups already receive a longstanding 25p discount off any Starbucks drink, aimed at reducing paper cup waste.

The announcement comes after trial results showed a 126% uplift in the use of reusable cups in participating stores, measured by the number of customers redeeming the reusable 25p cup discount.

The funds raised from the 5p cup charge to all stores in Britain will support recycling and sustainability efforts with Hubbub, with a focus to reduce plastic pollution across the UK and prompt consumers to rethink how we use plastic.

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.

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

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, previously told CityX: “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 a charge on cups, it is not a big issue for us.”

46% of 258 CityX readers polled would not welcome a disposable cup charge.

However, after polling 258 CityX readers, it was found 46% would not welcome a charge as they ‘already pay enough for their coffee’. 

Would you welcome a charge?