What Latte Levy Proposal Could Mean For Coffee Lovers

The House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee recently announced (January 5 2018) the findings of its report into disposable coffee cups, urging the Government to introduce the “Latte Levy” which would see a 25p charge per disposable cup of coffee purchased in the UK.

The figures released show that at least 2.5billion disposable coffee cups are used each year in the UK and only 1 in 400 of these are recycled.

Although discounts are often given to those with a reusable cup, this is not widely known and as research has shown, coffee lovers are more responsive to a charge than a discount. The Environmental Audit Committee believes that a charge of 25p could reduce use by up to 30%.*

The people at Robert Dyas, the homewares high-street retailer, noticed the effect of the forthcoming “Latte Levy” report before it was announced. The retailer observed an increase in eco-friendly and reusable coffee cup sales before the announcement of the report, showing that consumers are ready and willing to react to the potential charge.