The coffee shops and hotels of Killarney continue their collective effort to eradicate single use coffee cups.

Alice Thompson Brehon Hotel Killarney and Alan Oliver Lir Cafè handing in their disposable coffee cups in Killarney town centre. Phot: Valerie O'Sullivan

Over 50 businesses handed over their disposable coffee cups, having moved to a reusable system on July 31.

The single use coffee cups were collected and placed in a box in the town centre.

The box can hold 23,000 cups, which is the number of single use cups previously used in Killarney on a weekly basis. The unused single use coffee cups are to be used as part of a future educational piece that includes local art, biodiversity and science projects.

Since becoming Ireland’s first town to become single use coffee cup free, the local businesses have seen a very positive reaction from both locals as well as domestic and international tourists. Local customers are largely bringing their own reusable cup while tourists are utilising the collective €2 2GoCup deposit scheme.

Killian Treacy, owner of LUNA deli + wine, and spokesperson for the Killarney Coffee Cup Project, said:

"We are delighted with how the move has been received by customers. We knew that people were supportive of the decision and understood why we were doing it, but it is encouraging to see how quickly our customers have adapted.

"It is really positive to walk through the town and the National Park and to see the number of people with a reusable cup in their hands. Some of the strongest feedback we have received has been from the waste management workers due to the reduction of coffee cup litter on the streets as well as in the public bins in the town. We are really enthused by the differences we have seen in such a short space of time.”

The project has been supported by local partners including the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, Killarney Credit Union, Kerry County Council, 2GoCup, WanderWild Festival, Kerry Convention Bureau, and AIB.