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.
A town I used to live in ve in got rid of all public waste bins and made steep fines for littering. Was super frustrating for the first year but I think was an excellent idea. Forced residents and tourists to be more thoughtful about waste. Carry in carry out in parks etc. The biggest surprise was that it really noticeably cut down on mosquito and bee pests throughout the town. The US really needs to take more actions like this. The amount of waste in public areas is astonishing compared to the vast majority of other countries I’ve been to. Tell your local representatives about these ideas.