The Scottish government has announced the details of a new bottle deposit program, which will include aluminium and steel cans as well as drink containers made of glass and PET. It will not affect high density polythylene, typically used in dairy products.
In an May 8 statement, the government said it would levy a 20-pence deposit on beverage containers as part of plans to combat climate change.
The ambitious scheme, said the government, is based on "successful international equivalents" and will see all shops that sell drinks offering deposit refunds to customers.
The program, which will include any bottle larger than 50 milliliters, will need to be approved by the Scottish Parliament before being rolled out.
Addressing the Parliament, Roseanna Cunningham, cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and land reform said she intended to begin the legislative process during the summer.
Once the legislation process is complete, businesses will have a minimum of 12 months to get ready before it becomes operational.
The cabinet secretary also stated that her overall aim "is to deliver the scheme in the current parliamentary session." The next Scottish Parliament election is due to be held in May 2021.
"Scotland was the first part of the [United Kingdom] to commit to a deposit return scheme as part of our wider efforts to prevent discarded drinks containers from ending up in our streets and seas, and is now the first to outline its design," Cunningham said.