Killarney used to accept it as a price of being a tourist town: ubiquitous disposable coffee cups spilling from bins, littering roads and blighting the area’s national park.

The County Kerry town went through about 23,000 cups a week – more than a million a year – adding up to 18.5 tonnes of waste.

Not any more. Three months ago, Killarney became the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups. If you want a takeaway coffee from a cafe or hotel, you must bring your own cup or pay a €2 deposit for a reusable cup that is returned when the cup is given back.

  • Blue and Orange@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Very good system. We all need to get into the habit of bringing our own bottles/cups and reusable bags when we’re out and about.

    • m-p{3}@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I have a collapsible coffee cup made of silicone, works pretty well and barely takes any space at all in my bag.