Leading trade body group Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) fears that Scotland’s deposit return program will not be ready to start in August. The flagship initiative’s plan to boost recycling includes a 20-pence deposit on single-use beverage bottles and cans. However, the SRC claims that its members, who must register by March 1st, have not yet received access to an operating blueprint. The Scottish government said that the industry is assisting with program implementation. The initiative will be ready for its launch on August 16th, according to the chief executive of Circularity Scotland, the recently founded company that will oversee it. But the SRC’s deputy chairman, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, urged ministers to provide clarity to their members by the end of the month. He warned that failure would result in upheaval, higher expenses, and fewer options for customers.

Under the program, every producer headquartered in Scotland will be required to add 20 pence to each product they make before it is sold anywhere in the nation. The retailer will be charged for it and then bill the customer. To receive their money back, customers must bring their empty bottles or cans to a designated return point, like a vending machine in a grocery store. All types of beverages and containers with a capacity of more than 50 milliliters and up to three liters are covered by the program. The project will have an effect on small and large businesses as well as convenience stores and supermarkets, explained David Harris, chief executive of Circularity Scotland, who described it as “a very major piece of environmental infrastructure.”