Plastic coffee cups to be phased out, but consumers will pay more
A phase out of plastic-lined takeaway coffee cups and lids is on its way.
Western Australia will become the first state to implement the ban and has warned that the price of your daily cup of Joe will rise along with it.
The McGowan government has a list of plastic-based products to eliminate from shelves, including supermarket fresh produce bags, polystyrene cups and even plastic shaft earbuds.
This second stage ban of single-use plastics will start in February, with a full transition of between 6 and 18 months, depending on the product.
Those flouting the rules once implemented will face a $5000 fine.
While café owners are happy to implement the change, they have said the added costs will be passed onto customers.
West Australians use 182 million coffee cups a year – that’s a lot of people who’ll pay a bit extra for their morning pick-me-up.
Muzz Buzz is a franchise with 36 outlets across WA. It has already started replacing plastic-lined coffee cups with biodegradable alternatives from China and Vietnam.
The alternatives cost 10-20 per cent more on top of the rise of the 40 per cent rise of coffee beans and milk set to jujmp another 25% in December.
The markup on compostable alternatives to plastic cups for cold drinks was close to double, he said, and the higher expense would eventually be passed on to customers.
This was in addition to the price of coffee beans rising about 40 per cent over the past year and milk set to jump another 25 per cent in December.
“It has to be passed on to customers ... we couldn’t absorb that, or retailers will go broke,” said Muzz Buzz chairman Warren Reynolds.
Reynolds believes the ban should have been co-ordinated across states.
“There’s talk about swap schemes with cups, but it’s ridiculous. That sort of stuff doesn’t work,” he said.
“Keep cups don’t work either because people bring them back into us, and they’re filthy. Some of the things you see are just disgusting.
“Disposable cups are going to be around for a long time, they’re just going to be biodegradable, and that’s what we’re changing to.”
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said businesses needed adequate notice to source more sustainable products.
“This is particularly important for the State’s small businesses, who may have limited resources in the sustainability space and require additional support to continue with their transition away from single-use plastics,” Zahra said.
A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Reece Whitby has said businesses will be given proper notice through the transition period.
While plastic coffee cups could be replaced with “keep” cups, or disposable paperboard-lined cups, coffee cup lids will need to be made from either paper or bagasse, a by-product of sugarcane.
A ban on plastic cups and drinks for cold drinks begins on 1 October.
28th September 2022
