Your views: Scottish Government charge for single-use beverage cups

The Scottish Government is planning to introduce legislation that would impose a minimum charge on single-use beverage cups. We anticipate that a public consultation on the specifics of these proposals will be launched in the coming months. This legislative action is made possible by the recently passed Circular Economy Bill, which grants Ministers and local authorities new powers to increase reuse and recycling rates, as well as to modernise and improve waste and recycling services.

The first application of these new powers will focus on implementing a charge for single-use beverage cups. The government hopes this charge will incentivise customers to switch to reusable alternatives. The value of the charge has yet to be determined. However, it has been proposed that the charge could be approximately 20-25p for every cup. Although this has not been confirmed.

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) will be responding to the consultation and engaging with the Scottish Government throughout the process. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could complete our survey at your earliest convenience. The data provided in your response will be critical for informing our consultation response and improving our engagement with Ministers.
1.Do you anticipate an additional charge on single-use cups to have an impact on sales of related products?
2.How likely is it that you would absorb the cost of the single-use cup charge into the business, rather than increase the price of the drink product for customers?
3.Are you considering adapting your business operations, in any way, to accommodate a single-use cups charge?
4.How likely is it that retailers and staff will experience additional hostility or frustration from customers, due to the charge?
5.Do you purchase single-use cups directly, in order to sell directly to customers as part of a drinks purchase, or are they provided through a third party (such as a maintained instore coffee machine)?
6.What would be a reasonable timeframe to implement a new charge on single use cups, once the policy is confirmed by government?
QUESTIONS ON SINGLE USE PLASTICS (IN GENERAL) - Office for the Internal Market (OIM):
7.Have regulatory differences, relating to single use plastics in general, had an impact on your supply chain?
8.Have you explored any alternative material or products to replace single-use plastics? If so, please could you provide information on how to successfully transition to more sustainable alternatives?
9.Are there any specific concerns or suggestions, or any other comments or concerns regarding the impact on your business and customers you would like to raise?