Scottish Government plans legislation for single-use disposable cup charges
22 October 2019
Article: 53/4206
The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will legislate for a charge to be applied on single-use drinks cups, with this proposal forming part of the forthcoming Circular Economy Bill.
If the legislation is passed, the level of the charge will be subject to consultation and approval by parliament. This legislation would also enable a charge, similar to the carrier bag charge, to be applied in the future to other items proven to cause environmental harm.
The proposed legislation is one of a range of measures that may be implemented in response to the findings of an expert panel set up to offer advice on how Scotland can tackle the number of single-use cups used in the country, which is estimated, based on current usage, to reach 310 million a year by 2025.
The panel’s recommendations were published in July 2019, and are based on the assumption that the majority of hot drinks will be sold in reusable cups by 2025.