Drinks giant Coca-Cola has announced plans to test a deposit return service for drinks bottles in a major victory for waste and recycling campaigners. Coca-Cola, which previously argued against such schemes claiming they would damage its business, has bowed to pressure from green campaigners and plans to launch a pilot bottle return service in Scotland, executives from the firm announced on Tuesday. Under the deposit scheme consumers would pay a small surcharge of around 10 pence per item, which is repaid once a can or bottle is returned. Similar schemes are already in place in Canada, Norway, Sweden and Australia, and the Scottish government is currently considering whether to introduce one in its jurisdiction. "We have embarked on a major review of our sustainable packaging strategy to understand what role we can play in unlocking the full potential of a circular economy in Great Britain," Coca-Cola said in a statement. "Our sustainable packaging review is ongoing, but it's already clear from our conversations with experts that the time is right to trial new interventions such as a well-designed deposit return scheme for drinks containers, starting in Scotland where conversations are underway." Campaigners insist deposit return schemes are an effective strategy for cutting plastic waste. In Germany, where bottles have a refundable deposit of 25 cents, recycling rates rose from 72 per cent to 95 per cent when the scheme was introduced in 2003. A bottle deposit scheme in Scotland could boost the recycling rate for bottles above 90 per cent, according to waste reduction experts Eunomia. The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) hailed the commitment from Coca-Cola as a "landmark moment", while Greenpeace's senior oceans campaigner Louise Edge said deposit schemes can play a key role in reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in oceans and landfill. "Companies like Coca-Cola must have ambitious plans for 100 per cent recycled content and move away from the era of single-use, disposable, plastic," she said. "Only by these companies taking responsibility for the end life of the bottles they sell, will we close the loop on the 16 million plastic bottles which are dumped every day in the UK, and go on to pollute our beaches, land and sea". A poll conducted last month by Survation from the APRS suggests almost 80 per cent of Scots back a bottle return scheme, with just 8.5 per cent in opposition. Coca-Cola said it believes there is broad support for the measure across the UK, with 63 per cent of its UK members backing the proposal.