Last week the four UK governments agreed to shelve plans for a mandatory coffee cup takeback scheme. The potential new policy had already been quietly removed from draft versions of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation that passed in parliament recently, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
However, until the announcement there had been hope that separate legislation to require café bosses to recycle throwaway paper cups, might be laid to mandate the collection and recycling.
While the new UK government has taken forward many policies outlined by the previous administration, the coffee cup takeback scheme simply didn’t tick all the requisite boxes. It would indeed have been a cost to business, but – perhaps more pertinently – it would also have been a time drain on civil servants who could instead spend their time on bigger prizes with better environmental outcomes.
The change of heart serves to highlight the finite nature of human resources when it comes to creating new legislation and schemes.
Focus remains on EPR
Those bigger prizes come in the form of EPR itself, and a deposit return scheme that looks set to consume a great deal of political time given issues around the separate system in Wales that would include glass. Indeed, the system for collecting beverage containers remains far from finalised, with businesses looking for a greater degree of reassurance from government, given the failure of the scheme in Scotland.
Instead, the government in Westminster is setting up a Circular Economy Taskforce, which it believes is likely to ensure it makes a much bigger impact than recycling a few coffee cups.
It also recognises that recycling schemes can, despite their best intentions, inadvertently validate the existence of single-use packaging formats that may well otherwise be replaced by refillable alternatives.
Having an awareness that the introduction of widespread coffee collection points could send a message to citizens that it’s OK to use paper cups shows the current government understands the nuances of waste and resources policy.
Changing recycling plans
It is unfortunate the announcement wasn’t accompanied by plans for changing the way we consume drinks, especially hot caffeinated ones, in the UK. However, given those aforementioned priorities, it would be untenable for them to scrap a recycling scheme due to bureaucratic burdens and costs only to announce a potentially more complicated refill one.
There remains a voluntary cup takeback scheme that will hopefully continue to operate under the goodwill of major brands with deep pockets. Perhaps plans may be extended to include refillable systems in time, or maybe the 25p charge being explored in Scotland might discourage single-use cups in future.
What we can ascertain from this policy decision, following five months in power, is that the Labour government is fast shedding its “new” label. Its feet are firmly under the desk when it comes to environmental policy. They are not simply rubber-stamping their predecessors’ plans.They are brave enough and knowledgeable enough to make up their own minds, even if it means scrapping recycling schemes like this one.
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