Sweden uses one billion disposable cups a year despite new law

A 2024 law requiring food service outlets to offer reusable cups has had little impact, with only one in ten Swedes reporting they have been offered one, according to a survey by the environmental group Keep Sweden Tidy.

Six in ten Swedes order drinks in disposable cups multiple times a month, leading to roughly one billion single-use cups consumed annually, the survey found. The law, aimed at reducing waste and litter, does not mandate free reusable options—outlets may sell them.

Just 70% of consumers are aware the law exists, and even when offered a reusable cup, most still choose disposable, the group reported.

Josefin Carlring, CEO of Keep Sweden Tidy, said the industry must adapt systems to both provide and accept reusable cups, while consumers need to demand them. She described a stalemate where restaurants wait for customer demand and customers remain unaware of the law.

The organization now advocates for a tax or ban on disposable cups, citing the success of similar measures on plastic bags.