About 2.2 million fewer single-use cups were used by public bodies in Wales in the last year - a drop of nearly 19%.

Mike Hedges AM Welcomes news that the use of single use cups has dropped by around 20%



Speaking from his Swansea East office, Mike Hedges AM said… ‘This is very good news indeed; we know that single use cups take hundreds of years to degrade if buried in the ground and are very difficult to recycle – best thing is not to use them in the first place! That is why it is good news that public bodies in Wales are turning away from single use cups. I hope that the number of public bodies who are no longer using single use cups continue to increase year on year until no public bodies in Wales are using single cups.’

About 2.2 million fewer single-use cups were used by public bodies in Wales in the last year - a drop of nearly 19%.

Hospitals, emergency services, councils and government organisations have said they are trying to reduce the amount of waste produced by the cups.

Eight out of the 43 bodies asked said they did not buy single-use cups in 2018-19, and seven of those have also withdrawn plastic straws and cutlery.

Campaigners welcomed the fall but said 9.6 million cups ordered was too many.

The details, given to BBC Wales following a Freedom of Information request, also showed a £71,000 fall in the amount spent on single-use cups between 2017-18 and 2018-19.