The EU PPWR now applies in Ireland: what hotels, restaurants, cafés must do by Feb 2027, Feb 2028 and Jan 2030 – own cups, reusable take-away, no sachets.

Since 12 August 2026 the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation – Regulation (EU) 2025/40, known as the PPWR – has applied directly in Ireland. Unlike a directive, it needed no Irish legislation to switch it on, which is why many operators have not heard of it. It sets three dated obligations that land squarely on hotels, restaurants, cafés, pubs and caterers: customers' own containers by 12 February 2027, a reusable take-away option by 12 February 2028, and a ban on single-use plastic packaging for food and drink eaten on the premises, plus single-use sachets and hotel toiletry miniatures, from 1 January 2030. Here is what each one means for an Irish venue, in plain English, and what to buy now so the dates arrive as a non-event.

What is the PPWR and why does it apply in Ireland now?

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation replaces the 1994 Packaging Directive across the EU. It entered into force on 11 February 2025 and, after an 18-month run-in, became applicable on 12 August 2026. Because it is a regulation rather than a directive, it applies in every member state in identical form and on the same dates; Dublin does not get to soften the timetable or delay it. For the hospitality sector the regulation matters less for what it says about packaging manufacturers and more for a short set of articles aimed at "final distributors" – the café, restaurant, hotel or bar that hands food or drink to the customer.

Three of those articles carry dates. They are set out below in the order they arrive.

12 February 2027: customers' own containers, at no extra charge

Article 32 is the first deadline and the one most Irish cafés are least ready for. From 12 February 2027, any business selling beverages or ready-prepared food for take-away must allow the customer to have it filled into a container they bring themselves, and must do so at no additional charge. You also have to tell customers the option exists – a sign at the counter or a line on the menu board does the job.

For a coffee shop this is the "keep cup" rule made law. For a deli, sandwich bar or hotel breakfast-to-go counter it also covers food: a customer's own lunchbox is a legitimate container. Operationally the questions are hygiene (food-safety law still applies, so write down when staff may decline an unsuitable container), workflow at the till, and staff training so nobody on the floor is charging a "sleeve fee" that is no longer permitted.

What to put in place before the date: a written own-container policy for staff; counter signage; a wipe-clean landing area at the espresso machine or pass; and, for venues that pour a lot of hot drinks, a set of measuring jugs so a 12 oz flat white into a 16 oz customer cup is still a 12 oz flat white.

12 February 2028: a reusable take-away option must be on offer

Article 33 goes a step further. From 12 February 2028, the same final distributors must offer the customer the option of getting their take-away food or drink in reusable packaging – your packaging, not theirs – within a re-use system, and again without charging more for it than the single-use version. From 1 January 2030 the target becomes measurable: at least 10% of the products you sell for take-away must be offered in reusable packaging.

In practice this means a deposit or membership system for returnable cups and food boxes. Whether you run your own branded returnable cups or join a shared scheme, the sensible first step for a venue is to decide which route it will take, because the choice drives what you buy: a returnable branded cup that comes back to you needs washing capacity, storage and a deposit process at the till.

1 January 2030: the dine-in ban, sachets and hotel miniatures

Article 25 and Annex V of the PPWR list packaging formats that may no longer be placed on the market from 1 January 2030. Three of the entries are written for hospitality, and all three concern single-use plastic packaging:

• Dine-in service. Single-use plastic trays, disposable plates and cups, bags and boxes used for food and drink consumed on the premises of hotels, restaurants and other catering establishments. If a guest eats or drinks it at your table, bar or buffet, it should be served on something that goes back to the dishwasher.
• Portion sachets. Single-use plastic packaging for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning – the sachets, tubs and mini-trays on hotel breakfast tables and café counters.
• Hotel toiletries. Single-use plastic packaging for cosmetics, hygiene and toiletry products in the accommodation sector – the miniature shampoo and shower-gel bottles in the bathroom.

The restrictions come with exemptions in the regulation's text, so take advice on edge cases, but the direction is unmistakable: by 2030 the single-use plastic portion format disappears from Irish dining rooms, breakfast rooms and hotel bathrooms. The 2030 date sounds distant; a hotel refurbishment cycle and a five-year crockery replacement plan both fit inside it, which is exactly why the buying decisions are being made now.

Where Ireland's own rules stand: the latte levy and the deposit return scheme

Ireland has been promising its own 20c levy on single-use cups since the Circular Economy Act 2022, and the sector should not confuse that story with the EU one. As of August 2026 the Department of the Environment has abandoned the original plan for a levy charged at the till, is examining an alternative collected from cup producers and importers, and has announced no start date, saying only that the next policy steps "could take a number of months". A coalition of coffee chains, forecourt retailers and packaging firms is lobbying against it, and the junior minister responsible has spoken instead about encouraging washing stations for reusable cups. Meanwhile the country is estimated to discard around 22,000 disposable cups an hour.

The practical reading for an operator: the Irish levy may or may not arrive, and its shape is unknown. The EU obligations above are already law, with fixed dates, and preparing for them makes any future Irish levy irrelevant to your business, because customers with their own cups and a returnable cup scheme sidestep it entirely. Ireland's deposit return scheme for bottles and cans, live since 2024, is a separate system again and is unaffected.

A buying plan that meets all three dates

Most of what the PPWR asks of a venue is not new equipment; it is a return to serving things the way good restaurants always did. Worked through date by date:

Before February 2027 (own containers): counter signage and menu-board wording; a hygiene policy; measuring jugs and a wipe-down mat at the coffee station. Cost: negligible.

Before February 2028 (reusable take-away): choose a returnable cup and box scheme, or your own branded returnable cups; add dishwasher racks and drying storage for the returns; decide the deposit mechanics at the till.

Before January 2030 (dine-in and sachets): replace any single-use plastic dine-in items with porcelain, stoneware, glass and stainless steel; swap sachets for lidded sugar bowls, oil and vinegar sets, sauce dispensers, butter dishes and preserve pots; in hotel bathrooms, move to wall-mounted or refillable dispensers. These are one-off purchases with a service life measured in years, and the running cost of a refillable sugar bowl is a bag of sugar.

Frequently asked questions

Does the PPWR apply to a small café or a single pub? Yes. Articles 32 and 33 apply to final distributors serving take-away beverages or ready-prepared food regardless of size, and the Annex V restrictions apply to whoever places the packaging on the market. Check the regulation's text for any exemptions that apply to your specific format.

Can I charge a deposit on my reusable cups? The obligation is not to charge more for the reusable option than the single-use one. A refundable deposit that comes back to the customer is the standard mechanism used by return schemes.

Are paper cups banned in 2030? The Annex V hospitality entries target single-use plastic packaging. Whether a lined paper cup counts depends on its construction and the regulation's definitions, which is one reason many operators are moving to reusable cups for dine-in rather than debating the lining.

Do I still have to comply if Ireland introduces its own cup levy? Yes. A national levy would sit on top of the EU obligations, not replace them.

Is there any grant support? Energy and sustainability schemes change year to year; check SEAI, your Local Enterprise Office and Fáilte Ireland's current programmes before buying.

How CWDH.ie

CWDH.ie supplies the reusable serviceware Irish venues are moving to: porcelain and stoneware for the table, espresso and coffee cups for dine-in service, glassware, dispensers and table accessories to replace sachets, and hotel breakfast service equipment for the buffet. Trade quantities, fit-out schedules and volume pricing on request – call +353 1 257 3871.

This guide is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The obligations described are set out in Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (the PPWR), in particular Articles 25, 32 and 33 and Annex V – see the full text on EUR-Lex. Irish policy on a single-use cup levy is reported by TheJournal.ie (August 2026). Further reading: PPWR timeline and Fieldfisher's summary.

Photo: kartubi ahmad / Unsplash. Other images: CWDH.

 

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cafés compliance EU regulation hotels industry news Ireland packaging PPWR restaurants sustainability

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