The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), a leading trade association, fears that the deposit return program in the country will not be ready to launch in August. The flagship initiative’s strategy to increase recycling calls for a 20-pence deposit on bottles and cans of single-serve beverages. The SRC asserts that its members have not yet gotten access to an operating plan despite having until March 1 to register. According to the chief executive of Circularity Scotland, the recently established firm that will supervise it, the program will be ready for its start on August 16. However, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, the SRC’s deputy chairman, encouraged the government to provide its members with clarity by the end of the month.

Under the program, every producer based in Scotland will be required to add 20 pence to each product they make before it is sold anywhere in the country. It will be paid for by the shop, which will then bill the customer. Customers must bring their empty bottles or cans to a designated return location, such as a vending machine in a grocery store, to have their money returned. The program covers all kinds of beverages and containers with a volume of more than 50 milliliters and up to three liters. According to David Harris, CEO of Circularity Scotland, the project would have an impact on both small and large businesses, as well as convenience stores and supermarkets.