HEALTH chiefs are to ban plastic-coated paper cups from all of their outlets before the end of the year.

The move is being made by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde five years before Scotland’s so-called ‘Latte Tax’ is introduced on all non-recyclable cups in 2023.

Around a million of the cups are used at the local health board’s own brand Aroma Café outlets each year.

However, change is now on the way, with customers who sit-in for a coffee to be offered a china cup instead.

Regular users, such as staff and frequent visitors, will be encouraged to buy a low-cost, multiple-use refillable carry-out.

Polypropylene cups – readily recyclable and with a lower carbon impact than paper-based or compostable plastic-based equivalents – will be used as a carry-out alternative.

The health board’s sustainability manager, Martin Johnston, said he decided to get ahead of the curve after being inundated with emails following David Attenborough’s disturbing Blue Planet series on BBC TV, which showed the massive scale of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

He added: “We can reduce our plastic waste but any changes can only be a success if patients, visitors and staff support the many initiatives that will be introduced in the coming months.”