Killarney used to accept it as a price of being a tourist town: ubiquitous disposable coffee cups spilling from bins, littering roads and blighting the area’s national park.
The County Kerry town went through about 23,000 cups a week – more than a million a year – adding up to 18.5 tonnes of waste.
Not any more. 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.
They are pretty convenient though. Are there any sustainable alternatives?
Like with straws, I know for fact that there are non-paper biodegradable ones.
Also, with discovery of plastic-eating bacteria, how is the definition of biodegradable shifting?
Edit: Obligatory mention of industry regulations being more effective in helping the environment
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
These are in order of priority. You want to recycle as a last resort, and reduce or reuse instead, if that works.
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