San Francisco supervisor to propose disposable coffee cup fee

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KTVU) - Coffee drinkers in San Francisco may have to pay more for their cup of java based on a proposal that will be introduced Supervisor Aaron Peskin on Tuesday.

The Reuse "Zero Waste" ordinance would require coffee shops to charge customers .25 cents for disposable cups

"I understand we care about the environment. I care about the environment," said Ken Knoury, owner the Castro Coffee Company. "Why do you want to charge them 25 cents more per cup every day." I mean it becomes a little burden."

In an effort to reduce waste, the City of San Francisco has been passing legislation that it believes would cut down on the litter that end up in landfills.

Store customers already pay .10 cents for bags at stores, but on Tuesday, supervisors will consider raising the fee to .25 cents.

In January, Berkeley made a similar move as part of their "Disposable Foodware and Litter Reduce ordinance, which forces restaurants, cafes and other businesses to charge customers 25 cents for each disposable cup.

Supervisor Peskin's idea would encourage customers to bring their own cup to coffee shops in reduce waste… something that Koury said he already does for his customers. 

"I encourage my customers to bring their own cup and they get a better deal. We do charge them full price. They get a little discount," he told KTVU. 

Other says they don't think that the added cost will amount to a big deal because people in San Francisco are conscious about the environment and waste.

"People do that here anyway. If you hang around long enough you'll see people walking in with their own cups," said Ted Arabolos.