Defra cancels mandatory single-use cup take-back scheme

The UK Government has cancelled plans to mandate businesses to take back single-use cups and recycle them.

The policy was developed under the previous government and planned for introduction through extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) regulations.

The mandatory cups take-back policy would have affected businesses that supply drinks in fibre-based composite (FBC) cups filled at the point of supply and employ at least 10 full-time staff members.

These businesses would have been obligated to:

• Supply a bin on their premises to collect used cups.
• Make arrangements for recycling.
• Report the weight of cups sold and collected to the regulator.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said analysis showed the scheme would add £52 million in costs to the government and industry.

A Defra spokesperson said: “This government will end our throwaway society and move us to a future where we keep our resources in use for longer and waste is reduced, while accelerating the path to net zero.

“Analysis has shown the mandatory take-back scheme for cups proposed by the previous government would not have the intended impact on boosting recycling rates and reducing litter.”

Defra estimated the cost of implementing the policy would exceed the benefits and have a limited impact on environmental objectives.

Analysis by the government found the policy would only reduce the littering of cups by less than 2% and increase the recycling of cups by 7 percentage points in 10 years.

The decision means the mandatory cups take-back policy has been cancelled across all four UK nations.

Commenting on this development, David Gudgeon, Head of External Affairs at Reconomy Connect, a Reconomy brand, called the announcement “surprising”.

Gudgeon said: “Given this policy isn’t going to progress, the responsibility will now fall back to businesses and the waste industry who will need to work more closely together to come up with innovative solutions to build on the industry’s progress to date, lift recycling rates and create a more circular and sustainable future for our communities.”

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