Single-use coffee cups are set for a major change in NSW, after wild rumours of an outright ban sent cafe owners and caffeine lovers into a spin across the state.
Social media lit up on Thursday with claims the Minns government was about to outlaw disposable takeaway cups, fuelling panic among businesses already battling soaring costs.
But the truth is less dramatic – for now.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe has shut down the ban claim, insisting the government’s proposed Plastics 2.0 reforms do not kill off single-use coffee cups altogether. Instead, they will force a major overhaul, with all takeaway cups required to be recyclable in household yellow bins by 2028.
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“The Bill doesn’t ban single-use coffee cups. It says by 2028 they must be recyclable for your yellow bin,” Ms Sharpe said.
Even without a ban, the changes are set to hit cafes and customers in a big way.
Single-use coffee cups are set for a major change in NSW, with cafes to be forced to make takeaway cups recyclable under a looming plastics crackdown.
Under the proposed laws, cafes will have to offer mugs or glasses to customers drinking in-store.
They’ll also be required to accept reusable cups such as KeepCups, provided they’re clean.
For cafe owners, the rumour of a total ban was enough to trigger immediate alarm, with many fearing another expensive compliance burden at a time when every cost counts.
Ms Sharpe said small businesses would be exempt from the requirement to offer reusable cups or mugs, and cafes would still be able to knock back dirty cups.
“The Bill allows a cafe to refuse to take dirty cups,” she said.
Under proposed changes, venues will have to offer customers a mug or glass when they choose to dine in. Cafes would also be required to accept reusable cups, including KeepCups, so long as they are clean.
The government is also planning to trial reusable cup schemes at NSW government sites and create a reuse precinct in Sydney’s CBD, as it ramps up its war on waste.
But online, the backlash was immediate and fierce.
Coffee drinkers and critics piled in as the rumours spread, with some accusing cafes of using any environmental reform as an excuse to jack up prices.
“Any changes will no doubt give coffee shops a reason to complain about saving money through not buying disposable cups and will increase their prices by 25 per cent to compensate themselves,” one person wrote.
“The woke cancel culture strikes again,” another said.
A third added: “What mental illness ward escapee conjured this bs?”
Despite the uproar, the bottom line is this: the takeaway coffee cup isn’t dead in NSW – but its days in its current form are numbered.