Visitors to the SSE Arena in Belfast will have to pay an extra £1 for their first drink as part of a move towards reusable plastic cups.
The charge is not refundable and the arena said it would be used to pay for the cost of transporting the cups to be cleaned at “a new state-of-the-art washing facility” in Carryduff.
Belfast Giants fan Nicola Jones, who helps run Teal Army – an unofficial supporters’ group for the ice hockey team, criticised the charge.
The SSE said the charge was “essential to cover operational costs” as it switched from single-use cups to reusable ones.
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The Belfast Giants play at the SSE Arena
Ms Jones told BBC News NI she appreciated what the SSE Arena was trying to do, but saw no benefit to the scheme.
“I understand the need to create a greener environment. However, I don’t understand why we have to effectively pay for the trial of the system and paying for the recycling policy,” she said.
“There is no benefit in taking the cups back. Where is the benefit to me? It’s just additional cost.”
Ms Jones said she had been to other venues in England where the charge was refunded.
“People were motivated to clear and return the cups or take them home to wash and bring back at another time,” she said.
“Why is that not an option?”
Some venues, including the Motorpoint Arena and Nottingham and Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, charge £1 per cup as a deposit which customers can reclaim when they return the cup.
The Ovo Hydro in Glasgow used to operate the same scheme but has now scrapped the £1 charge, saying it wanted to “streamline the process”.
‘Specialist washing facility’
A spokesperson for the SSE Arena said the £1 levy was “essential to cover operational costs, including cleaning, sanitising, and transporting cups to a specialist washing facility in Carryduff”.
They added the SSE had been exploring the scheme since 2018, but had “lacked access to a local wash plant, making it unviable until now”.
“The £1 levy was introduced as a transparent approach to funding the scheme,” the spokesperson added.
“Any surplus from the levy will support the Odyssey Trust’s charitable and green initiatives, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability.”
When visitors to the SSE purchase their first drink they will receive it in a reusable cup and will pay a £1 levy.
The purchased cup can then be exchanged for a fresh cup for each subsequent drink, without the need to pay the levy again.
Cups must be returned it to a designated collection point in the arena at the end of the event.
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Two other venues involved in the reusable cup pilot – the Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall – said they would not be charging a levy.
They told BBC News NI they were “committed to this important move and have made a significant investment in this initiative as a business”.
“We will be trying to mitigate the additional operating costs through savings in other areas across the business,” a spokesperson said.
Single-use plastic ban
The 12-month pilot to remove single-use plastic cups is being driven by the Venue Sustainability Forum and supported by Visit Belfast.
The Oh Yeah Centre, Black Box, Voodoo and The MAC are the other venues involved.
They will team up with North Down Marquees, who will deliver reusable cups to venues, pick up used ones, which will be washed in a central washing facility, and redistributed.