The move has been announced as part of a drive to reduce the supermarket chain’s plastic footprint.
The initiative, planned to come in to effect in the autumn, will prevent more than 52 million disposable cups being used every year.
Free tea or coffee will still be available to myWaitrose customers, provided they use their own reusable cup at self-service machines.
“We realise this is a major change, but we believe removing all takeaway disposable cups is the right thing to do for our business and are confident the majority of customers will support the environmental benefits,” said Tor Harris, head of sustainability and responsible sourcing at Waitrose.
“It underlines our commitment to plastic and packaging reduction and our aim is to deliver this as quickly as possible.”
Waitrose’s decision comes as the Government considers a 25p tax on disposable coffee cups. Only one in 400 cups are currently recycled, with up to 2.5 billion put in landfill each year.
For more information on how you can be a part of countering plastic pollution, check out the great work being done by one of our charity partners Project AWARE.
