The Scottish Government has proposed a 25p charge on all single-use cups to slash waste arisings.
Ministers north of the border published a consultation on the introduction of the mandatory payment.
It would apply when buying drinks in disposable cups of any material outside specified locations such as schools.
Under the proposals, retailers would be able to retain reasonable implementation costs from the charge, as with single-use carrier bags.
An estimated 388 million disposable cups were used in Scotland in 2021/22, according to the government, which said this created 5,400 tonnes of waste.
The use of single-use plastic carrier bags fell by 80 per cent in Scotland within 12 months of the country introducing a 5p charge in 2014.
Acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin said this showed “an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change behaviour and encourage responsible consumption”.
She added: “Our proposed approach is similar to the charge for single-use carrier bags and will be familiar to both suppliers and the public.”
