Lib Dems propose 5p charge on disposable coffee cups to encourage recycling and protect the environment
Fewer than one in 400 disposable coffee cups is recycled in the UK
The Lib Dems last night pledged to enforce a 5p charge on disposable coffee cups.
The extra charge on consumers is a bid to slash the 2.5 billion disposable cups thrown away every year in the UK, with fewer than one in 400 recycled.
The party pointed to the 85 per cent drop in plastic bag use as proof that a tax would work.
Profit from the coffee cup charge would go to charity, the Lib Dems said.
Environment spokeswoman Baroness Parminter said: "For the Liberal Democrats, protecting our environment and tackling climate change is a priority. We can and must act."
The Lib Dems last night also pledged to help entrepreneurs setting up their own business with a £100-a-week allowance to help with costs.
Recipients would be able to claim the handout for the first six months of a new business - up to a total of £2,600.
And in another spending commitment the party promised to spend an extra £1.2 billion on police.
