The importer of a compostable coffee cup says it has now spent two years trying to get Christchurch City Council approval.
The plastic free cup, sold by local company Ashbec, was the first of its kind to hit New Zealand shores in 2019.
Several South Island councils have accepted their use at events but Christchurch says it still needs more documentation.
One South Island food truck operator keen to use the cups says an "endless" number of forms have already been filled in and efforts to be sustainable are being paralysed by bureaucracy.
Anan Zaki looks into the dispute.
