Updated October 28, 2026 — 8:10am , first published 7:40am

Cafes will be able to continue serving customers who chose to sit down to drink hot drinks in recyclable disposable cups in a change to a new law introduced to reduce plastic waste passed last week.

“We’ve listened to the concerns raised by small businesses about reusable coffee cup reforms, and we’re making changes to give them certainty and confidence,” said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe announcing the changes on Wednesday morning.

Nearly 800 million single-use cups are used in NSW each year, and most are used for only a matter of minutes before being discarded. Istock

“I can confirm that cafes will not be required to offer a mug or glass to dine-in customers.…