NSW scraps mandatory reusable cup scheme for cafes
The New South Wales government has dropped two reuse measures from its Plastics Plan 2.0, abandoning a requirement for cafes to offer mugs or glasses to dine-in customers and a mandate for large foodservice businesses to offer reusable takeaway cups from 2030. Requirements to accept customers' own clean reusable cups from January 2028 and for single-use takeaway coffee cups to be recyclable from 2028 remain in place. The NSW EPA said on 28 October 2026 it would not enforce the new reuse-scheme obligation under the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021, drawing criticism from three environment groups.
Why this mattersA reversal of a mandated reuse-system obligation for foodservice packaging removes a near-term demand driver for reusable cup systems and keeps disposable recyclable cups as the compliance default.
- NSW government announced the reversal on 28 October 2026, days after Parliament passed the reforms.
- Cafes will no longer be required to offer mugs or glasses to dine-in customers from 2028.
- Large foodservice businesses will no longer be required to offer reusable takeaway cups through reuse systems from 2030.
- NSW EPA will not enforce new section 34C of the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021.
- Retained: requirement to accept customers' clean reusable cups from January 2028, and recyclability requirement for single-use takeaway coffee cups from 2028.
- Boomerang Alliance, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Clean Up Australia jointly criticised the decision on 28 October 2026.