British Politicians Want to Tax Coffee Cups to Cut Waste
- Only Starbucks and Costa responded to the committee’s probe
- Plastic lining in disposable cups makes recyling difficult
Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg
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Britain should introduce a charge of 25 pence (34 U.S. cents) for disposable coffee cups to encourage recycling and reduce waste from retailers including Starbucks Corp. and Costa Coffee Ltd., a panel of lawmakers said.
Funds from the so-called latte levy would be used to improve recycling facilities nationwide, Parliament’s cross-party Environmental Audit Committee said on Friday in an emailed report. The government should also set a target to recycle all disposable coffee cups by 2023, and ban the cups if it fails to meet the goal, the panel said.