Irish town's unique solution to 'plague-like coffee-cup problem' miring its beauty
Coffee cups
Killarney, an Irish town, has rid itself of the "plague" of disposable coffee cups. Three months ago, it became the first Irish town to ban single-use coffee mugs, and now the results are visible.
Not caring for nature will cost you
Killarney, a popular tourist town, had a ubiquitous problem: coffee cups littering the streets, overflowing bins and ruining the beauty of the picturesque national parking.
Every year, the town would go through millions of cups — about 23,000 a week — which added up to 18.5 tonnes of waste.
Now, people are required to carry their own reusable cups with them, and those who don't, have to cough up a €2 (around $2.11) deposit for a reusable cup from the coffee shop. This deposit is returned once the customer gives back the cup they "borrowed".
)
6 satellites of Indian startups doomed in ISRO PSLV failure. Were they insured?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From Qatar to Bahrain: US military bases Iran could attack in case of war
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT Releases this week (Jan 12-18, 2026): Golden Globes, One Last Adventure, Taskaree- 8 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, JioHotstar and more
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Where does Iran stand in the military race? Top 7 Middle East armed forces
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Can US military control Greenland legally? Understanding the 1951 treaty
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
US vs Iran: Whose navy holds the edge if war breaks out? Naval power compared
)
Pot of gold buried 900 years ago unearthed in a Karnataka village. Now there is a fuss over who owns it
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
‘1.4 million to one’: How US dollar triggered Iran’s biggest revolution since 1979
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From superpowers to supercarriers: The 5 most powerful warships at sea in 2026
)
'We choose Denmark’: Greenland rejects Trump’s takeover push, US president quips 'who is he'
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
10-second 'death cry' that took 13 billion years to reach Earth
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Al Udeid Air Base matters now: US deploys F-35s, bombers and tankers amid rising Iran tensions
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Did Russia’s 'disastrous consequences' threat stop Trump from helping Iran despite MIGA message?
)
State Department freezes immigrant visas from 75 countries from January 21. See the complete list here
)
Iran protests: Erfan Soltani could be publicly hanged after just '10 minutes' with his family, as Trump issues stern warning
Is the move helping?
Yes. As per the Guardian, the result is pretty evident. Streets and forest trails rarely have the pesky disposable cups littering them.
Talking to the publication, Michael Gleeson, chair of 'Killarney Looking Good,' a group that promotes civic improvements, said: "This was a wonderful and necessary initiative. The amount of cups strewn around is considerably reduced."
As per Gleeson, these cups were a "plague on the town and countryside."
Not only that, the move is also beneficial to restaurants and cafés, which save up to 20 to 30 cents a cup.
A source of inspiration
Killarney's success has become a source of inspiration for other Kerry towns, including Tralee and Dingle, which are also considering emulating similar experiments.
Gleeson expressed his hope that it will soon spread across Ireland and beyond, and said: "Our great challenge is to make our world more beautiful."
Similar initiatives have been undertaken by other towns across the globe. However, their numbers are low, because even the modest goal of eliminating single-use coffee cups isn't easy.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
