The City of Oslo wants to get rid of disposable cups because of all the litter they create, and is considering imposing deposit fees refundable only when they’re returned to recycling stations. It would operate much like returns for bottle deposits.
The arrival of take-away food and drink in Norway around 30 years ago has become a major environmental problem, says Oslo’s top politician in charge of such issues, Marit Vea of the Liberal Party. “People should still be able to take a cup of coffee with them,” Vea told newspaper Dagsavisen this week, “but we have to deal with all the littering that leads to.”
A new study conducted for both the city and a local environemental fund backed by retailers shows that around 3 million disposable cups and their lids in both plastic and paper are thrown away annually in Oslo alone. Vea is keen to swap disposable cups with new types that can be reused, and points to a test project in Aarhus, Denmark. Customers opting for multi-usable cups pay a deposit of DKK 5 that’s returned to a cup account when Norwegians use what’s called a pantautomat, machines that process recyclable items.
The City of Oslo is also considering simply an environmental fee of NOK 4-5 (around USD 0.50) on cups for one-time use, similar to how plastic bags now cost NOK 5.50 at grocery stores. It remains unclear how much authority the city has to impose such restrictions, however, and whether such programs would require state approval.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
