Disposable Cups Ban
Lord Scriven
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban the sale of hot and cold drinks in disposable cups.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)
My Lords, a call for evidence on how taxes or charges could reduce the waste from single-use plastics, including disposable cups, closed on 18 May. We are reviewing the responses and considering future policy options. The noble Lord has asked whether we plan to ban the sale of hot and cold drinks in disposable cups. While it is true that we would like to see a lower volume of single-use plastic waste, currently we have no plans to ban disposable cups.
Lord Scriven (LD)
I thank the Minister for that Answer. Does she agree that if we are going to do away with the throw-away culture, the Government must lead by example? Will the Government therefore look as a matter of urgency at their procurement rules and perhaps consider taking up the Freiburg cup, which is recyclable, can be used 400 times and is transferable, as part of a mission to ensure that central government lead by example in stopping the use of single-use disposable cups?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
My Lords, it is right that the Government and indeed Parliament should lead by example. Defra has already removed all single-use plastic cups from the department and new catering services have no single-use plastics at all. I know that the FCO is following suit. Moreover, we can use the greening government commitments to deliver on and report progress across central government. I am sure that noble Lords will be pleased to see that the Parliamentary Estate is also committed to removing all avoidable single-use plastics.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)
My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that the Government’s policy on the throw-away culture does not extend to neckties?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
My Lords, I think that we may need to look at our customs in the Chamber.
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)
My Lords, obviously we welcome the recent announcement that Parliament is going to ban single-use plastic cups, but has the department done any research into what proportion of the 2.5 billion disposable cups used each year are actually used in workplaces—that is, not on the go, when people take the drinks away, but by people who remain in one place all day? What is being done to roll out the example being developed in government so that all workplaces around the country are encouraged to use not disposable cups but the cups that we have known and loved for so many years prior to that?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The noble Baroness is completely right that it is for businesses to join in the fight against the scourge of single-use disposable cups. However, an enormous amount of work is being done, with companies and retailers working together to reduce the number of cups used by deploying both the carrot and the stick approach, with either a charge or a discount. We welcome that. On the research mentioned by the noble Baroness, I do not know whether any has been done but I shall certainly write to her if any has.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)
My Lords, the problem is that disposable cups are not recyclable. Do the Government accept that we must move away from a situation where we are building up waste right across the environment, from woodlands to beaches to waste dumps, to one where all disposable cups are recyclable—and marked as such—so that people can dispose of them and reuse them, as is already the case with drinks in cans?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
My noble friend is quite right. It is the moisture barrier between the cardboard and the inside of the cup that is the problem. However, I understand that a large amount of research has been going on in this area and that products are coming on stream which will be recyclable. I should also say that on capacity, the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment is looking at increasing the capacity for recycling, and indeed a company called DS Smith in Kent has the capacity to recycle nearly all the cups that are currently being used.
Lord Teverson (LD)
My Lords, is not the real answer to go cup-less altogether? I went to Portland, Oregon, where part of their urban regeneration has put water fountains throughout the city and in public places. Is that not the obvious way to change government guidance on planning to make sure that British cities can benefit from that just as much?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
My Lords, I am not going cup-less anytime soon. In terms of water refill, the noble Lord is absolutely right. He will know about the City to Sea initiative, which is an app for your phone. There are water fountains in airports, train stations, retailers and coffee shops. These are the sorts of initiatives that we should be focusing on; indeed, it is funded by the water industry.
Viscount Trenchard (Con)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a director of Lotte Chemical UK Ltd, which manufacturers PET on Teesside for water and soft drinks bottles. It is not practical to phase out disposable cups or bottles completely, but I understand that the industry is capable of undertaking a much larger volume of recycling of single-use plastics. Is my noble friend aware that the major obstacle to this is that many councils are not yet capable of collecting and processing the material for industry to recycle in sufficient scale?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
I thank my noble friend for his question. In fact, 88% of all local authorities now recycle the most widely recycled materials, including plastic bottles. Obviously, there is much more to be done; many other types of plastics cannot currently be recycled. We are, for example, looking at black plastic and working with the industry. We expect a sustainable recycling system to be in place by the end of 2018.
Lord Laming (CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that at least Parliament is moving forward and moving toward producing a range of compostable materials, including cups?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The noble Lord is right. However, there is always an issue with biodegradable-type plastic: it does not degrade. When we recycle plastic, we often need the structure of the plastic to hold its form so that it can be used for other materials. Of course, biodegradables and compostables go to mush and are of no use as recycling materials.