Live music and entertainment venues in Belfast will be removing the use of single-use plastic cups at events, as part of a year-long pilot scheme.

Popular spaces like The Ulster Hall, Waterfront Hall, Black Box, Voodoo, Mac and SSE Arena will all be taking part by introducing reusable cups. Other venues are expected to join the lineup in due course.

The initiative is being driven by the Venue Sustainability Forum (VSF), and is supported by Visit Belfast.

The SSE Arena will be the first to bring in reusable cups, with the 11,000 capacity venue expected to do so around mid-January.

"The switch from glass to plastic remains an important health and safety concern for gigs and entertainment venues," said chief executive of ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall Iain Bell , "so this is a very positive step towards a solution which addresses both safety and sustainability."

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Black Box Belfast (@theblackboxbelfast)

Director of the Black Box Kathryn McShane added that their venue “never liked” using single-use cups, but could not find a feasible replacement for years.

“The positive impact of the reusable cup scheme for The Black Box and for other venues in the city will be huge,” she said.

“It will almost eradicate our need to use any single use plastics in the venue, will drastically reduce our waste and allow our audiences to make more sustainable choices.”

Reusable cups have also been implemented in recent years at popular music venues and festivals in the Republic of Ireland, such as Electric Picnic.

Monitoring across the European Union has revealed that the 10 most commonly used single use plastic items, in which cups are included, make up 70% of all marine litter on European beaches.

Items such as plastic plates, straws and cutlery were banned by the EU in 2021 - though this has not yet extended to cups for beverages.