GLASGOW'S health board has vowed to ban all non-recyclable cups by the end of year.

The so called "latte tax" aims to scrap the plastic coated paper cups by 2023, but NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board has brought that deadline forward by five years.

Britain’s biggest health authority goes through a million of the cups every year through their own brand Aroma Café outlets in hospitals.

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Customers who sit-in for a coffee will now be offered a china cup instead, while regular users such as staff and frequent visitors will be encouraged to purchase 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 decided to get ahead of the curve after being inundated with emails following David Attenborough’s disturbing Blue Planet series which showed the massive scale of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

He said: “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.

"The coffee and drinks cup alternatives are just one part of how Glasgow and Clyde plans to deliver on Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan which requires public bodies to recycle 70 per cent of all waste.

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“As a public service we are committed to the reduction of single use items, including coffee cups, straws and cutlery.

“The introduction of recycling bins is part of our efforts but we can only make a real impact if patients, visitors and staff support all the initiatives we make. Major changes are needed to allow us to comply with legislation and also save resources.”

NHSGGC produces more than 600,000 tonnes of waste a year, however, the board is attempting to reduce the figure.