New ButterflyCup Poll Shows Majority of Public Want Plastic Lids Banned Immediately

LONDON, May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A NEW poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of the British public would support the immediate banning of plastic coffee cup lids.  

More than seven-in-ten (73%) agree that single-use plastic lids should be banned in the UK and almost nine-in-ten (87%) believe they are a significant source of environmental pollution and litter.  

The survey of 2,079 UK adults, commissioned by ButterflyCup, comes following last year's decision by the UK government to ban plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds– but not lids. 

Britons throw away more than 5,000 takeaway coffee cups every minute - this adds up to 2.5 billion each year with only 1 in 400 being recycled. If each of those 2.5 billion cup lids were placed on top of each other, they would create a stack long enough to stretch around the entire world. This excludes the even larger quantity of plastic lids used for cold drinks. 

The poll has revealed that, at 73%, the number of those wanting to ban single-use lids is approximately the same as those who support a ban on single-use plastic straws (73%) and cutlery (71%). Only 8% disagree with a ban on plastic lids. 

The poll results have caused environmental campaigners to amp up calls for a single-use plastic lid ban.  

Tommy McLoughlin, Founder and CEO of ButterflyCup, said: "These results have lifted the lid on the coffee cup and lid waste crisis.  

"They show that delays in banning single-use plastic lids is not caused by a lack of public support. The Government must listen to the public and curb the use of single-use plastic lids in the same way it has done on similar plastic products like straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates - all of which are being banned.  

"It is difficult to understand this glaring inconsistency in the government's approach." 

In December, ButterflyCup launched the UK's first plastic-free lidless disposable coffee cup.