Latte levy: What are major coffee chains' policies on disposable cup use?

Major coffee chains have revealed their policies on disposable cup use following calls from MPs for a “latte levy“.

Firms are under increasing pressure to address the waste they create after a report from the Environmental Audit Committee earlier this month, highlighted the scale of the issue.

It revealed that the UK gets 7 million disposable coffee cups every day, but many do not get recycled as the paper is lined with with plastic polyethylene.

The contamination by the drink also means cups cannot be recycled at standard recycling plants, and must instead be taken to special facilities – only three of which exist in the UK.

To tackle this, The Independent has launched its Cut the Cup Waste campaign.

MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee also called for the Government to introduce a 25p “latte levy” on disposable coffee cups.

They said they should all be recycled by 2023 and if that target is not met non-recyclable coffee cups should be banned outright.

Sales of reusable coffee cups have surged since the report was released, and some businesses have made public statements about how they intend to deal with their own coffee cup waste.

Here are the policies of the coffee chains:

The largest coffee chain in the UK, with over 2,000 outlets operating throughout the country, a spokesperson from the company said: "We accept reusable cups in store (any brand) and offer a 25p discount to those customers using one."

Customers who specifically opt in are served their drinks in crockery, and the firm currently sell around 60 per cent of their drinks in crockery.

Customers are offered reusable ceramic cups to drink from when staying in store, and can also purchase a reusable cup for £1 if they wish, a spokesperson told The Independent .

The company was the first to offer a reusable cup incentive. Implemented in 1998 people were first given a 10p reward and this increased to 25p in 2008.

Starbucks is now planning to start charging customers 5p for a disposable cup in some outlets, in order to encourage reusable cup use.

At the same time, the firm has said it will “redouble efforts” to ensure that drink-in customers are always offered a ceramic cup.

A spokesperson from Caffè Nero said: “Customers drinking in are always served in a china cup, unless they request otherwise. The teams at Caffè Nero accept reusable cups from customers who wish to use them and in return we offer a double stamp on their loyalty card (which is the equivalent of a 25p discount).”

Acknowledging that china cups are not an option in every shop, a spokesperson said they use them “where possible” and they planned to add more this year.

After CEO Clive Schlee tweeted asking for suggestions to encourage customers to bring reusable cups into Pret A Manger branches last year, he received extensive feedback from his followers.

“On the basis of this valuable feedback, from 1 January 2018, we introduced a 50p discount on hot drinks for those who bring in a reusable cup and the response has been excellent so far,” the spokesperson said.

While primarily known for it's baked goods, one 2015 survey found it was a more popular option for coffee in the UK than major chains like Costa and Starbucks.

In response to calls for action on disposable cup waste, Greggs has introduced a disposable cup that customers can purchase for £2.

“Upon purchase, customers receive their first regular hot drink for free and will then be able to redeem 20p off future hot drink purchases,” said a Greggs spokesperson.

“This 20p discount also applies if customers bring in their own reusable cup.”

However, Greggs does not offer china mugs to customers who wish to consume their beverage in store.

But the spokesperson said the firm was "working behind the scenes with multiple organisations to help build more collection points for these cups so that they can be recycled, and they are a supporter of numerous other schemes to help reduce litter and waste across the UK."