‘Latte levy’: plan to charge for takeaway cups causes a stir

Coffee addicts could be charged an extra 25p per fix under a proposed new measure designed to reduce waste.

MPs on the House of Commons’ Environment Audit Committee are calling for all disposable cups to incur a 25p charge to encourage consumers to bring their own reusable cups for takeaway drinks.

The money raised from the initiative “would be used to increase the number of recycling plants able to handle plastic-lined take-away cups,” Sky News reports. At the moment, only three UK plants are equipped to recycle any of the 2.5 billion disposable cups used in Britain each year, says the BBC.

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The idea was quickly dubbed a “latte levy” - which some commentators saw as a missed opportunity:

Environmentalists welcomed the proposal, with many saying UK consumers would soon adapt to the change and embrace reusable cups:

While others agreed with the intention behind the plan, but thought a “carrot” approach would be more effective than the “stick” of an extra charge:

However, some coffee drinkers were unimpressed by the proposal, which they saw as a misdirected attack on consumers rather than the corporations behind the industry:

Complaints about the additional cost prompted some wags to encourage a bit of healthy perspective:

While one tweeter proposed the ultimate millennial solution to the ultimate millennial dilemma: