Belfast Giants fans say the levy for the SSE Arena’s reusable cups is ‘unfair’.

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

Ben Looney, who visits the field several times a week, said the charge will increase over the course of a season.

“It looks like we’re almost paying for SSE’s investment in the scheme, so we’re almost covering the money from them which seems a bit unfair because we can’t take the cup home. Nor can we take our own. So it seems we have no choice but to accept this new scheme,” he told BBC News NI.

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

The charge is non-refundable and will be used to pay for the transportation of the cups to be cleaned in “a state-of-the-art washing facility” at Cary Duff, the arena’s operators said.

The arena is one of seven locations in Belfast being planned. Dispose of single-use plastic cups. At gigs and events in 2025.

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

Sharon Ross, a Belfast Giants season ticket holder, said it felt like she would be “spending an extra £40 on anything by the end of the year.”

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

“I think the way SSE is trying to do it is really trying to get the appreciation that they’re trying to do something for the environment while cashing in on the profits from the top. Trying,” he said.

Belfast Giants fan Nicola Jones, who helps run Tale Empire – an unofficial support group – said she saw no benefit for people using the ground.

“I understand the need to create a greener environment, but I don’t understand why we have to effectively pay for the trial and recycling policy of the system,” she said.

“There’s no point in taking the cup back,” he said.

“Where’s the benefit to me? It’s just added value.”

Ms Jones said she had visited other locations in England where the charge had been returned.

“People were encouraged to clean and return the cups or take them home to wash and bring them back another time,” he said.

“Why isn’t that an option?”

Some venues, including Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham and Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, charge £1 per cup as a deposit, which can be reclaimed by customers upon return.

Ovo Hydro in Glasgow used to run the same scheme but has now scrapped the £1 charge, saying it wanted to “streamline the process”.

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

Ola Olabode said the extra payment was worth trying to help the environment.

“It’s only a pound,” he told BBC News NI.

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

His friend, Emmanuel Oluwole, agreed.

“I’m down for it,” he said.

“If you consider the minimum wage and the normal price of a pint, an extra pound isn’t that much.”

But nurses Caitriona Smith and Laura Wilson were less convinced.

“It’s quite dear there, it’s going to cost me a lot of time,” Ms Wilson said.

“You might try and bring your own cup.”

Ms Smith said the financial cost of the scheme was being passed back onto consumers.

“I can see why they’re doing it but you’re being forced to pay those pounds whether you want to or not, so I think I’ll go without a drink.”

When visitors to SSE buy their first drink, they will receive it in a reusable cup and 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 to a designated collection point on the field at the end of the event.

A spokesman for the SSE Arena said the £1 levy was “necessary to cover operational costs, including cleaning, sanitising, and the transfer of cups to a specialist washing facility in Cardiff”.

He added that SSE had been exploring the scheme since 2018, but “did not have access to a local wash plant, making it impractical so far.”

“The £1 levy was introduced as a transparent way of funding the scheme,” the spokesman added.

“Any additional money raised from the levy will support Odyssey Trust’s charitable and green initiatives, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability.”

Spokesmen for Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, the two venues which will receive the levy, told BBC News NI they were “committed to this important initiative and have made a significant investment in this initiative as a business. “.

“We will seek to reduce additional operating costs through savings in other areas of the business,” a spokeswoman said.

A 12-month pilot to remove single-use plastic cups is being run by the Venue Sustainability Forum and supported by Visit Belfast.

Other locations include Oh Yes Center, Black Box, Voodoo and The Mac.

They will work with North Down Marquees, who will deliver reusable cups to locations, pick up used cups, which will be washed in a central washing facility, and redistributed.