The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on bringing in a 25p charge for single-use cups, similar to the charge for plastic bags in supermarkets.

Holyrood is considering bringing in the levy for all single-use drinks cups when a drink is bought, regardless of material.

Exemptions would apply for specific locations and uses, such as in schools. Free drinks in hospital or care settings would not be included in the scope of the charge.

The Scottish Government said a similar charge is already in use in the Netherlands, while the Republic of Ireland has passed legislation allowing for one but has yet to bring a levy into force.

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Under the proposals being put forward, retailers would be able to retain 'reasonable' implementation costs from the charge, with the consultation also seeking views on whether the money from such a charge should be kept by businesses, donated to charity, or collected by local or national government.

Ministers pointed to the single-use carrier bag scheme, with the use of those falling by 80% after an initial 5p charge was brought in.

An estimated 388 million single-use cups were used in Scotland in 2021-22 creating 5,400 tonnes of waste.

Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The success of the single-use carrier bag charge shows how an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change people’s behaviour and encourage responsible consumption.

“While many businesses already have offers in place to encourage the use of reusable drinks cups, hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being discarded, creating 5,400 tonnes of waste every year. Many of these cups end up littering our roadsides, town centres, beaches and parks.

“Introducing a national charge could provide consistency for consumers, provide a level playing field for retail and businesses and help to drive forward sustainable behaviours. Our proposed approach is similar to the charge for single-use carrier bags and will be familiar to both suppliers and the public. We hope this means that it will minimise any administrative burden on businesses and make it easy for individuals and organisations to adopt.

“I urge everyone to have their say so we choose the most sustainable option for both people and businesses while helping top tackle litter, reduce waste and cut emissions.”

Calum Duncan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society, said: "Our volunteers have consistently recorded single-use disposable cups on over half of UK beaches surveyed. We need to see charges on these kinds of items to reduce litter in our seas and prevent it from damaging our precious marine life.

“We know that policies like this work, with our data recently showing an 80% reduction in the average number of plastic carrier bags washing up on beaches since charges on them were introduced.

“We look forward to a similar decline in disposable cups once a charge is introduced, and need further measures from governments to move towards a society where refillable and reusable options are the norm."

The consultation can be responded to here. For information on post or email responses click here.