Disposable coffee cups to be hit with new levy as Govt encourages reusable cups

A new levy on disposable coffee cups will be introduced in the coming months which will add 20 cents to the cost of coffee as the Government aims to reduce their use.

It is estimated that Ireland sends half a million coffee cups to landfill every day. 

The Circular Economy Bill published on Wednesday morning is aimed at reducing waste and changing behaviour.

It will also allow for the use of CCTV to detect and deter illegal dumping and littering.

The bill will introduce mandatory segregation of waste and an incentivised charging regime for commercial waste, similar to what exists for the household market.

Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and the new Circular Economy Ossian Smyth told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that approval will be needed from the European Union for the change.

It will take a few months before it will become law as the EU wants to ensure Ireland is not interfering in the single market, he said.

However, he expected changes to have taken place before the end of the year. 

He likened the levy to the similar situation with the plastic bag levy, which reduced the use of plastic bags by 95 per cent. 

"I am hoping not to collect money from this levy. I am hoping that there will be such a reduction that in fact most people will switch over," Minister Snyth said. 

He confirmed the levy will be 20 cents.