Tesco is to pay shoppers 10p per plastic bottle they return as part of a new recycling scheme.

The trial scheme was launched in a store in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, on Thursday. Other trials will be taking place over the next few weeks in Swansea, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham. 

Five stores are participating in the trial, which if a success, could be rolled out across the country.

There is a catch, you can only return a maximum of 10 bottles each day and they can only be branded or Tesco own-brand bottles. Own-brand products from other supermarkets won’t be accepted. The bottles also can’t be bigger than 750ml.

Tesco also announced customers will be able to bring their own containers to stores and use them when buying counter products, such as cheese or fish, from the 3rd October.

The supermarket used the opportunity to call for a more unified approach to recycling across the country. 

CEO Jack Tarry said: “We are already committed to eliminating single use plastic wherever we can and make recycling simpler for customers. Today is another step in that direction.

“However, we know that it is going to take retailers, manufacturers and government to work together to make progress. We would urge the government to move to a single, nationwide approach to waste collection that makes it much easier for people to recycle.”

Tesco has committed to making all of its products 100% sustainable by 2025.

The supermarket isn’t the first to launch a bottle return scheme, Iceland announced a similar trial earlier this year and pledged to be plastic free by 2023.

In March the government pledged to introduce a bottle return scheme for all plastic bottles in the country.