Letters to the Editor: 'Latte levy' will not reduce plastic waste

The ‘latte levy’ will have the effect of replacing renewable fibre cups with plastic, it is claimed. Picture: Ben Birchall/PA

While the renewable fibre packaging industry supports the principles of a circular economy, the recently-enacted “latte levy” as part of the Circular Economy Act will hamper our ambitions to reduce plastic waste.

In response to your reporting on a survey by the Environmental Protection Agency on July 11, (‘Almost two thirds of Irish adults support the introduction of a levy on single-use plastic products’) we observe the contrasting and more comprehensive findings of another recent survey. While the EPA surveyed respondents about levying single-use plastics, a poll conducted by Ireland Thinks on June 4 took a more nuanced approach, asking 1,211 people whether paper cups certified as disposable and recyclable should be included in the levy and ultimately banned, as is the Government’s ultimate intention.