Drinks giant Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is supporting a trial deposit-return scheme (DRS) for Scottish students.
The multinational firm partnered with campaign group Keep Scotland Beautiful for the initiative across three campuses of New College Lanarkshire.
Students in Motherwell, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld will receive a 20p reward at college canteens for every can and plastic bottle recycled through reverse-vending machines (RVMs) in September.
The pilot scheme will assess how the incentive influences waste-management behaviour.
Jo Padwick, senior sustainability manager at Coca Cola Europacific Partners GB, said: “Giving students the chance to live with a DRS – something that will soon be a part of everyday life – will allow us to see first-hand how people interact with RVMs in reality.
“Hearing directly from students over four weeks will give us honest, human insight into both the practical and behavioural barriers to adoption, as well as what really motivates them to take part.”
Previous work by Keep Scotland Beautiful, Coca-Cola and the University of Strathclyde found half of students felt a financial incentive would encourage them to recycle more.
The Scottish Government is planning to roll out a DRS in line with other parts of the UK in October 2027.
