Consumers in Scotland face another tax, of up to 20p, on canned drinks under a drive to improve recycling rates.

SNP ministers are studying a Norwegian model in which a levy is imposed on drinks in cans. Customers are given the money back in vouchers when they recycle the cans at supermarkets and elsewhere.

The measure, which comes after the UK government imposed a sugar tax on soft drinks, is part of a planned deposit-return scheme that will also cover glass and plastic bottles.

John Mayhew, who runs the Have You Got the Bottle campaign which promotes the idea, said he expected the scheme, which could be introduced across the UK, to be ambitious.“We expect it to cover cans, glass and plastic bottles, possibly with