‘Ahead of the Pack’: Western Australia to Ban Non-Compostable Coffee Cups

‘This is an excellent move for the environment because we know that plastic persists in the environment for decades and decades and decades.’

Take-away coffee cups are displayed alongside a coffee machine in Sydney, Australia, on April 20, 2010. Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images

Western Australia (WA) has become the first state in the country to ban non-compostable coffee cups as part of its effort to step away from single-use plastics and lids.

The government estimated that the plan’s second stage will save an additional 700 million single-use items each year, with hot beverage cups accounting for more than 154 million of these items per annum.