Councillors commit to binning disposable cups for good, with promises of going greener

At South Gloucestershire’s Full Council meeting on Wednesday, councillors agreed to stop using disposable coffee cups in any Council facility, with a motion asking officers to bring a report outlining how this decision could be implemented to a Cabinet meeting for agreement as soon as possible.

In March it was reported in the Independent that disposable coffee cup use is set to increase by a third, with general plastics to rise by 20%, amid news that the United Kingdom is among the biggest consumers of cotton buds, wet wipes, and single-use straws, something branded by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond as ‘the scourge of plastic’.

Council Leader Toby Savage commented:

“The original motion submitted by the Liberal Democrat group didn’t go far enough in making the important decisions we need to make to step up and take responsibility for our impact on the environment and doing what we can to reduce that. We were pleased to strengthen the motion and we want to do more.”