About 2.2 million fewer single-use cups were used by public bodies in Wales in the last year, a drop of nearly 19%. Hospitals, emergency services, councils and government organisations have said they are trying to reduce the amount of waste produced by cups.
Eight out of the 43 bodies asked said they did not buy single-use cups in 2018-19, and seven of those have also withdrawn plastic straws and cutlery.
Campaigners welcomed the fall but said 9.6 million cups ordered was still too many. Information given to BBC Wales, following a Freedom of Information request, showed a £71,000 fall in the amount spent on single-use cups between 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Rebecca Colley-Jones, a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, commented: "Two million is a big decrease."
"It's very positive. These things don't happen overnight. You take it a step at a time".
A spokesperson from Cardiff University, one of the bodies to go plastic free, said: "The phasing out of single-use plastics across the university is one of a number of measures that we've put in place to help build an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for our community and to bring about environmental benefits not only to Cardiff and Wales but to the wider world".
"We are extremely pleased with the progress we've made over the past year, however we are not complacent and will continue to look at ways in which we can reduce our campus footprint".
Monmouthshire council said it had stopped using plastics since 2018-19, while others are investing in biodegradable cups or encouraging staff to have re-usable cups and plastics.
Bettina Gilbert, programme manager at charity Wrap Cymru, said "it's great news that Wales' public bodies are reducing the number of single-use plastic cups they're using and tackling 'problem plastics' such as straws and plastic cutlery, to be eliminated by the end of 2020 under WRAP's UK Plastics Pact".
Nevertheless figures show there is still work to be done, "which is why Wrap Cymru will shortly publish single-use plastics procurement guidance for Wales' public sector and launch hands-on support for public sector bodies so that sustainable procurement lies at the heart of their work".
