A proposal to impose a so-called latte levy on throwaway coffee cups has been rejected by the government.
MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee had suggested a charge of 25p for disposable coffee cups to reduce their use.
But ministers say it is better for shops to offer voluntary discounts to customers bringing their own cups.
MPs says the government's response suggests it is not serious about its promise to tackle plastic litter.
Committee chairwoman Mary Creagh said: "The UK's throwaway culture is having a devastating impact on our streets, beaches and seas. Our report recommended practical solutions to the disposable packaging crisis. The government's response shows that despite warm words they plan no real action."
She said evidence to the committee showed charges work better than discounts for reducing the use of non-recyclable materials – as was the case with the plastic bag charge.
"By choosing to favour voluntary discounts, the government is ignoring the evidence about what works," she said.
The government said it was serious about the issue – but did not want to jump to hasty conclusions.
Its response to the committee, it said: "Coffee cups make up 0.7% of total paper packaging waste in the UK. We believe it is important to look at the packaging and waste management system as a whole."
It said ministers had heard little evidence that recyclable cups would meet industry standards prohibiting coffee-covered containers from contaminating the recycling stream.
More research is needed, ministers said.
But the government did signal an intent to reform what's known as the "producer responsibility" system in which packaging firms chip in towards the cost of recycling technology.
A report this week from the waste consultancy Eunomia said the industry was exaggerating the waste it recycles and paying far too little towards the £2.8bn cost to households of collecting and dealing with waste.
The National Audit Office is launching a review of the government's oversight of the system, following a request from the Environmental Audit Committee, which has concerns that it is opaque, and could be subject to fraud and non-compliance.
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