Levy for SSE Arena reusable cups ‘unfair’ say Belfast Giants fans | UK News

A proposed £1 charge for reusable cups in the SSE Arena is “unfair”, a Belfast Giants ice hockey fan has said.

Ben Luney, who visits the arena multiple times a week, said that the charge will add up over the course of a season.

“It seems like we’re almost paying for the SSE’s investment in the scheme, so we’re almost covering the amount on their behalf which seems a bit unfair as we can’t take the cups home and we can’t bring our own so it seems like we’ve got no other choice but to accept this new scheme,” he told News NI.

The SSE Arena described the charge as an “essential to cover operational costs” as it switched from single-use cups to reusable ones.

The charge is not refundable and the arena’s operators said it would be used to pay for transporting the cups to be cleaned at “a new state-of-the-art washing facility” in Carryduff.

The arena is one of seven Belfast venues piloting a scheme to remove single-use plastic cups at gigs and events in 2025.

Two other venues involved in the pilot – the Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall – said they would not be charging a levy.

Sharon Ross, who is a Belfast Giants season ticket holder, said it felt like she would “be spending an extra £40 simply on nothing by the end of the year”.

She said that while reusable cups are a “brilliant idea”, she wasn’t happy with the cost.

“I think the way that the SSE are trying to do it is really trying to get the praise of seeming like they’re trying to do something for the environment while also trying to cash the profits on top,” she said.

Belfast Giants fan Nicola Jones, who helps run Teal Empire – an unofficial supporters group – said she saw no upside for people who use the arena.

“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,” she said.

“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 in Nottingham and Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, charge £1 per cup as a deposit, which customers can reclaim when they return it.

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”.

There were mixed reviews on the new scheme from people in Belfast city centre on Wednesday.

Awwal Olabode said that the extra payment was worth it to try to help the environment.

“It’s just a pound,” he told News NI.

I really don’t think that a pound should be too much to help with the environment and we should be helping to give back to the environment.”

His friend, Emmanuel Oluwole, agreed.

“I’m down for it,” he said.

“An extra pound is not that much if you consider the minimum wage and the usual cost of a pint.”

But nurses Catriona Smyth and Laura Wilson were less convinced.

“It’s dear enough in there, it would put me off big time,” Ms Wilson said.

“You’d probably just try and bring your own cup.”

Ms Smyth said the financial cost of the scheme was being put back on consumers.

“I see why they’re doing it but you’re being forced to pay that pound whether you want to or not, so I think I’d just rather go without the drink,” she added.

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.

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.”

A spokesperson for the Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, two venues which will charging a levy, told 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.

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.