In Scotland, citizens could be charged an additional 25p fee if they buy drinks in disposable cups, according to plans by the Scottish Government.

Ministers have launched a consultation on whether businesses should be required to charge an additional fee on top of existing costs to reduce the use of single-use cups in landfill.

The scheme would be similar to the current charges for single-use carrier bags and would encourage consumers to use reusable cups.

If this plan goes ahead, the fee would be introduced across Scotland by the end of 2025.

It would apply to all disposable beverage cups, regardless of the composition or type of beverage for which the cup is intended to be used.

This also includes disposable cups that are marketed as “biodegradable” or “compostable”.

Most disposable cups are made of paper but lined with plastic to make them waterproof, making them difficult to recycle without special processes.

According to the Scottish Government, an estimated 388.7 million single-use drinks cups were used in 2021-22. That’s about 71 cups per person.

According to the proposals, there should be exceptions for the free distribution of drinks in hospitals, nursing homes, schools or anywhere where the use of a reusable cup is not practical.

The consultation states that various options for using the money raised will be explored, including allowing suppliers to keep the money to spend on environmental measures or donate it to a specific charity.

The idea of ​​treating the money as a tax and having it collected centrally by the Scottish Government or local authorities is also being considered.

The Scottish Government said the measure would lead to a reduction in waste and litter.

Gillian Martin MSP, acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, said: “We want to build on the success of the single-use carrier bag charge introduced in 2014 – it showed that a charge can raise awareness, change behaviour and encourage responsible consumption.”

“A charge on single-use beverage cups will therefore, where possible, follow this approach as it is known and has been shown to be effective.”

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Ms Martin said she believed there was a strong public appetite for such a move.

“If you look at people on the street today, they are used to having reusable cups, whether for water or for their own coffee, when they leave the house every day,” she said.

Ms Martin continued: “I don’t actually think it would be a big burden for anyone. I think they would get used to it. In many places that is already the case.”

However, a Scottish retail spokesman said the move was “wrong” and doubted it would have “any substantial impact”.

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, vice-chair of the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), said: “Retailers are already taking action to improve cup recycling and reduce the use of single-use cups, including offering financial incentives to use reusable containers and changing materials to use more biodegradable materials.”

“We therefore ask ourselves whether, at a time of stagnant economic activity and tough shopping streets, it is not time to impose new costs on hard-pressed consumers.”

The SRC represents major cafe chains such as Starbucks, Costa, McDonalds and Greggs.

The legislation giving the Scottish Government additional powers to collect this levy was passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament in June 2024 as part of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill.

The bill also provides for possible fines for car and van drivers caught littering from their vehicles, as well as fines for people who put the wrong items in their bins.

These proposals will be considered at a later date. The consultation on single-use cups runs until 14 November.