Small change at cafe sparks outrage – as owners are accused of going back to the 1960s: ‘Disappointing’

A cafe has sparked outrage after its owners announced it would only serve coffee in disposable cups.

Surfing Lizard Cafe, which operates in Coogee and Secret Harbor in Western Australia, announced the move in December.

The company said it was more feasible to serve its drinks, other than alcohol, in paper takeaway cups due to staff shortages.

Locals immediately raised concerns about the “1960s behavior,” citing the environmental impact.

“You only have to look at a place like Bali to realize that giving customers disposable cups is going to cause problems,” one person said news.com.au.

“It’s behavior from the 1960s, when people didn’t give a shit.”

Another said the local community is unlikely to support the move given the differences in values.

“We live on a beautiful stretch of coastline and it’s disappointing that companies operating so close to our ocean aren’t concerned about the sustainability of serving everyone with disposable cups,” one woman said.

One woman defended the move, arguing that the company would only use disposable mugs for a short time.

But another said she couldn’t understand the company’s reasoning.

“The disposable cups add to the waste, and I don’t see why you should really use them exclusively,” she said.

“If you can serve coffee in a reusable mug, why wouldn’t you?”

Images of the nearby area appeared to show municipal waste bins full of disposable cups.

Many disposable cups could be seen falling from bins and littering the walkways of the Secret Harbor waterfront.

It is not suggested that they all come from the Surfing Lizard Café.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Surfing Lizard for comment.

Last year, Western Australia became the first state in the country to ban plastic-lined takeaway cups in March.

Companies that do not comply with the laws risk high fines.

WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby said cafes could instead use compostable paper cups, which are excluded from the ban, or bring their own cups.

“This is an excellent move for the environment because we know that plastic persists in the environment for decades and decades,” he said.

The change was part of a wider push by the Cook government to reduce the prevalence of single-use plastics in the economy.

The government also banned single-use plastic containers without lids, such as sushi containers and bento boxes.

A ban on several items, including microbeads and cotton buds, came into effect in 2023, while the sale of plastic vegetable bags and takeaway containers with lids will be banned from September.

Mr Whitby said more than a billion single-use plastic items, including more than 154 million coffee cups, will be saved from landfill every year.