Ireland passed law and issued press releases but never actually banned single-use cups

Why, when this is one of the low-hanging fruits of reducing our carbon emissions, has nothing happened, asks Richard Jacob

Each year, Ireland dumps 200 million single-use cups, that could be replaced by reusable cups in the morning. Picture: iStock

In July 2022, the Circular Economy Bill became law, with the Government saying “among its targets is to make Ireland one of the first countries in the world to eliminate the use of disposable coffee cups”. This was to be achieved by a levy placed on single use cups, increasing over time.

Since then, nothing has happened.