Owners of coffee outlets in Mullingar are being invited to a meeting in the Annebrook House Hotel, on Tuesday 25th March at 7pm, to discuss the introduction of a Disposable Cup scheme for Mullingar. Many other towns in Ireland have already taken this step, most notably Killarney which was one of the first.
If agreed, the scheme will result in significant cost savings for participating coffee outlets in the town as well as significantly reducing waste and litter in Mullingar. It will also serve to showcase Mullingar as a leader in sustainability.
2Go Cup, a popular provider of Reusable Cups in other towns, have estimated that a coffee shop can save on average €24,000 per year by eliminating disposable coffee cups. This is a massive saving and one of the biggest incentives for businesses to set up a similar scheme in Mullingar.
Every hour, 22,000 disposable coffee cups are discarded in Ireland alone, adding to a shocking 20 million every year. These cups are often not recyclable or compostable meaning they go to the landfill after an average of 15 minutes of use. Disposable coffee cups take 20-30 years to decompose in a landfill releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and therefore, contributing to changes in our climate. Despite claims that they are compostable, most in fact are not.
How will the scheme work? Each business involved with the scheme will serve hot beverages either in ceramic cups for sitting in, or in a reusable takeaway cup. Typically, the reusable takeaway cup will have an additional cost of €2 as a deposit. When the consumer is finished, they can return the cup to get the €2 deposit back from any participating retailer in the town. Alternatively, the consumer can keep the returnable cup for further coffee consumption or bring their own reusable coffee cup. In doing so, Mullingar coffee outlets will be promoting a circular economy in the town by reducing the amount of waste and litter produced in the area.
In terms of litter, according to Westmeath County Council’s Litter Management Plan 2024-2026 for Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District, an average of €587,593 per annum was spent on litter control between 2020 and 2022. Reducing waste from disposable coffee cups in Mullingar will have a positive knock-on effect on litter control in the region. According to An Taisce’s Irish Businesses Against Litter Anti-Litter League, Survey 2, 2024, Mullingar ranks 14th out of 40 towns surveyed in Ireland and is considered Clean to European Norms. It is hoped that by implementing the Mullingar Reusable Coffee Cup Scheme, Mullingar will improve it’s ranking to become Cleaner than European Norms, as it was in 2023.
The meeting in the Annebrook House Hotel on 25th March at 7pm is being organised by the Mullingar Chamber in partnership with Mullingar Tidy Towns, Westmeath County Council and the Mullingar Sustainable Energy Community.
Speaking about the meeting, James Bourke, President of Mullingar Chamber: “We are looking forward to talking to businesses in the town about the scheme on the 25th March. This is a great opportunity for business in Mullingar to do something positive for the environment of the town while at the same time saving money. It’s a win-win scenario”.
David Quirke, owner of Wholesome Kitchen, said: “As a business we all want to reduce our carbon footprint, cut unnecessary costs and waste in our town. We need all businesses to get behind and lead this for it to work. We urge all owners of cafes, restaurants and anyone serving disposable coffee cups to attend the meeting on the 25th of March and let’s get this scheme launched.
John Bawle of Mullingar Tidy Towns said: “Discarded disposable coffee cups and their plastic lids are one of the most common items of litter that we encounter on the streets of our lovely town. Getting rid of them at source makes so much sense and will make Mullingar a much more attractive place in which to live and visit”.
Brian Browne, Chair of the Mullingar Sustainable Energy Community said: “Making Mullingar free of disposable coffee cups is the way forward. Mullingar will be following the lead of towns like Killarney and Adare in leading the way towards a cleaner and more sustainable future. This is good for the environment and good for business”.
If you are interested in learning more about this scheme and would like to get involved, please email [email protected]