In what should be an obvious move to curtail waste and unnecessary costs, Killarney, Ireland banned single-use coffee cups. Killarney was going through 23,000 (!!!) cups a week, adding up to 18.5 tons of waste annually.
Rory Carroll
Three months ago, Killarney became the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups. If you want a takeaway coffee from a cafe or hotel, you must bring your own cup or pay a €2 deposit for a reusable cup that is returned when the cup is given back.
Imagine that – the Aldi model in practice. A €2 deposit is all it takes to change behavior and keep bins from overflowing with waste. Further, if you're a business owner, you're set to increase your margins: each disposable cup costs 20 to 30 cents and you can keep the €2 if someone doesn't return the cup.
A win-win for Ireland and the planet.
