The proposed 'latte levy' on disposable coffee cups has met with a luke-warm reaction among East Anglian coffee suppliers, who feel money would be better spent on finding viable recyclable alternatives.
While the 25p charge is evidence of a 'groundswell' of interest in the level of waste we produce, independent coffee shops in this region who are already investing in biodegradable cups believe it will not be a long-term solution.
MPs in the environmental audit committee have urged the government to implement a 25p tax on disposable cups which could be invested to improve recycling facilities, and have also called for non-recyclable cups to be banned from 2023.
Framlingham-based Paddy and Scotts has recently begun using 100% biodegradable cups and lids in its coffee shops, made using recycled paper and corn starch.
The roaster recently won a contract to supply one of the country's biggest energy firms, for which it had to prove its environmental credentials.
It was also the among the first coffee suppliers in the UK to start using fully recyclable coffee bags.
Cofounder Scott Russell said: 'We serve 50,000 cups of coffee a day. I cannot just keep producing non-recyclable materials.
'If you go to an independent coffee shop the chances are they will already be using compostable or recyclable cups and will have a recycling scheme.
'The way to make it work is for consumers to vote with their feet. The minute the public starts boycotting the bigger coffee chains for smaller independents, they will catch on.'
Alex Sargeant, cofounder of Strangers Coffee in Norwich, said his company is also investigating alternatives for its cups and coffee bags, and hopes to roll out biodegradable cups by the end of the year.
He does not believe a tax is the answer. 'Why punish somebody for buying a cup of coffee? We need to encourage people to use the alternatives,' he said.
'They should be putting something in place to make it more accessible for people like us to buy biodegradable cups.
'Because we are small our R&D on this is limited, whereas a big coffee player has the money and backing to develop products which could be used across the whole industry and make a massive difference. If a big player were to use biodegradable cups it would accelerate the development of biodegradable packaging.'
'Wake up and smell the coffee'
A Suffolk firm is leading the charge in the development of biodegradable coffee cups – and already has interest from a global chain.
Frugalpac, based in Brightwell near Ipswich, is set to start production of its fully recyclable paper cups later this month following two years of development.
The machinery being installed at its plant is capable of churning out 50 million cups a year.
Starbucks is among the companies which have signed up to test the cups, which were designed by engineer and entrepreneur Martin Myerscough.
He said the proposed levy was not a tax on consumers, but on 'the inertia of the industry'.
'We have been working on this for two years and nothing has happened,' he said.
'There is a groundswell of movement. With this impetus the industry will change.
'We have been talking about this for years. Everyone now has to wake up and smell the coffee.'
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