Scottish Government to ban sale of single-use hot drinks cups in its buildings

The Scottish Government will ban the sale of single-use hot drinks cups in its buildings as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste.

From 4 June all hot drinks purchased in St Andrew’s House, Saughton House, Victoria Quay, Atlantic Quay, Marine Lab and Buchanan House cafes will be served in reusable mugs, saving round 450,000 cups each year.

The move follows the establishment of a Scottish Government advisory group on reducing waste, including consideration of a possible levy on single use coffee cups, with the Scottish Parliament then announcing a ban on plastic drinking straws as part of efforts to reduce consumption of single use plastics.

The government said ceramic mugs will be provided for those sitting in and staff are being encouraged to bring their own mugs for takeaways.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The Scottish Government is determined to lead by example when it comes to tackling the scourge of plastic littering our countryside and polluting our seas.

“By removing single-use coffee cups from our main buildings, we will prevent 450,000 cups from being thrown away every year. That’s enough cups to cover the distance between Edinburgh and Dundee.

“We support the EU’s vision to reduce single-use plastics as far as possible and ensure any single-use plastics are easily recyclable by 2030.  We are currently considering what other single-use items can be reduced and removed from Scottish Government buildings later this year.

“Our newly appointed expert panel is considering what further action we can take to fight against our throwaway culture, and this will include looking at disposable cups and plastic straws as well as any potential implications for disabled people.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland welcomed the move.

Head of campaigns Mary Church said: “Like the proposed ban on plastic cotton bud sticks this sends out a really positive message about the need to tackle the growing tide of plastic pollution.

"However, the scale of the task ahead to truly address the root causes of plastic pollution and stop adding to the mountains of waste in our environment is very large indeed. Plastics, and single use plastics, have become part of everyday life and it can be really difficult to avoid using them. Plastics pollution is all too often simply one end of a long, environmentally damaging journey from resource extraction to litter on our beaches. The plastics crisis is linked to the climate crisis, with most plastics manufactured from fossil fuel feedstocks.

"Solving the problem of plastic pollution requires a holistic approach, it means re-imaging our economy and moving to a fully circular model. It means focussing on waste reduction first, and avoiding alternatives that have other damaging environmental impacts.

"Scottish Government commitments so far to introduce a deposit and return scheme for bottles and cans, a ban on plastic cotton buds, to phase out of non-recyclable plastics by 2030 put us on the right track.

"We urge the Scottish Government to explore legislative options to push manufacturers, retailers and consumers into saying goodbye to unnecessary plastics and making truly sustainable choices instead.”