Single-use coffee cup charge for Scots revealed as 'latte levy' plans move forward

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Plans to hit Scots with a 25p “latte levy” on all single-use cups have taken a step forward.SNP ministers have now launched a consultation to ask the public for their views on the proposals which it’s hoped will slash waste.The policy is similar to the carrier bag charge introduced in shops and supermarkets in 2014 which aimed to eradicate their use and shift people towards using reusable bags.The power to introduce levies for disposable items like cups is a key plank of the Scottish Government’s flagship Circular Economy Bill.Research in 2019 suggested the single-use cup charge would lead to a behaviour change in 49 per cent of the population.Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: "The success of the single-use carrier bag charge shows how an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change people's behaviour and encourage responsible consumption."While many businesses already have offers in place to encourage the use of reusable drinks cups, hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being discarded, creating 5400 tonnes of waste every year."Many of these cups end up littering our roadsides, town centres, beaches and parks."Introducing a national charge could provide consistency for consumers, provide a level playing field for retail and businesses, and help to drive forward sustainable behaviours.”She added: "Our proposed approach is similar to the charge for single-use carrier bags and will be familiar to both suppliers and the public."We hope this means that it will minimise any administrative burden on businesses and make it easy for individuals and organisations to adopt."We told earlier this year of a warning from Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee that any single-use cup charge must be