RICS Logo
Twitter
LinkedIn
  • Home
  • News
  • What We Do
    • Business Rates Relief
    • Empty Property Rates Relief
    • Charities
  • Contact
0800 151 3361
Email Us
"latte levy" for disposable coffee cups

Trade body ALMR not hot for ‘Latte Levy’

January 6, 2018Kim Pidgeon

Small businesses ‘particularly vulnerable’ to cost increases of disposable cup crackdown with levy

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers is warning that the introduction of a so-called ‘latte levy’ on disposable cups will see smaller businesses suffer without a guarantee of successfully addressing waste.

It comes after a report by the Environmental Audit Committee, made up of MPs, recommended that the Government introduces a minimum 25p levy on disposable cups. It also recommended the revenue should be used to invest in reprocessing facilities and ‘binfrastructure’ to ensure that the remaining disposable cups are recycled.

The committee also want to see the use of a reusable cup encouraged wherever possible. The report found that: ‘Although some coffee shops have introduced discounts for customers bringing their own reusable cup, awareness and uptake of these offers has been low. We have heard that charges are more effective than discounts, and the use of a charge on environmentally damaging packaging has already seen success through the plastic carrier bag charge. A ‘latte levy’ on disposable coffee cups would remove some of the financial burden from local authorities and council taxpayers.’

The MPs say: “To kick start consumer awareness, we recommend that the Government sets a target that all single use coffee cups should be recycled by 2023. If this target is not achieved, the Government should ban disposable coffee cups.”

The ALMR however says the charge on disposable cups will increase costs for employers and undermine investment, and are instead calling on the Government to promote other schemes to address waste.

Chief executive of the national trade body, Kate Nicholls, said: “Efforts to reduce waste are welcome and steps to tackle environmental damage are laudable, but the major concern here is that a ‘latte levy’ will simply increase costs for businesses without having any discernible effect in tackling the problem.

“Small and medium-sized businesses will be particularly vulnerable to cost increases and many of them will find it difficult to absorb this cost or even pass it onto customers as the cost of the cup is already factored into the price.

“Efforts by businesses to tackle the issue are recognised in the report and some of the ALMR’s members have begun loyalty schemes or provided discounts for customers using their own reusable cups. Steps such as these help address waste without increasing costs for businesses and actually save customers money. The sector is taking the issue seriously and the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group’s annual report states that we now have over 4,000 recycling points from a standing start.

“This is not necessarily the same as the charge on plastic bags because, unlike a trip to the supermarket, buying a coffee is usually an impulse purchase; and waste generated by paper cups amounts to just 0.7% of the UK’s total packaging waste. Action taken at the other end of the chain, to improve recycling facilities, rather than deter purchases, might be a more effective option.

“Schemes to tackle waste are welcome, and businesses are ready to play their part, but an additional tax on businesses, one which will increase costs and potentially threaten jobs, is not the answer.”

Related Articles

Small businesses gain boost in battle against ‘late payments culture’

December 20, 2017Kim Pidgeon

BHA and ALMR joining forces with proposed merger

January 26, 2018Kim Pidgeon

1 comment. Leave new

writeessay
April 11, 2018 2:17 pm

essay for me http://dekrtyuijg.com/

You expressed that effectively!

Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Coronavirus Pandemic: useful links for G15 Housing Associations
  • Ban on using credit cards for gambling in the UK from April 2020
  • Metropolitan Thames Valley and Bovis Homes to build nearly 800 new homes near Cambridge
  • The UK is the fifth Most Generous Country, with Ireland topping GoFundMe’s 2019 list
  • Three quarters of small business websites risk missing out on mobile business 

Recent Comments

  • L&G reveal first four housing schemes from their new affordable housing arm - Caritas on Legal & General adds affordable housing provider to its resumé
  • writeessay on Trade body ALMR not hot for ‘Latte Levy’
  • proptech on British Retail Consortium predicts £280m business rates price hike for retailers next year

Archives

  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • February 2017

Categories

  • Advice
  • News
  • Tips
  • Uncategorized
Twitter
LinkedIn
Caritas
5 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A 1LG


Tel: 0800 151 3361
Email Us
Caritas
Cody Technology Park
Old Ively Road
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 0LX
Tel: 0800 151 3361
Email Us

© Copyright Caritas | Privacy Notice | Cookie Policy